Blood Bound
by Lethal Lauren
Summary: What if the Uchiha clan wasn't killed just for throwing a coup? What if Itachi was ordered to kill them for a MUCH darker reason? All families have their secrets and the Uchihas are no exception. Some secrets are just better left unsaid. See how the holes in Sasuke's memory and his clan's hateful past haunts his every step and effects him in more ways than one. Vampire semi canon.
1. Chapter 1: Just A Taste

**Hey guys! So it's Lauren here. I'm proudly announcing the beginning of a new story - yay! This is a project I'm co-writing with my best friend and she wishes to remain anonymous so let's get refer to her as anon. She totally sucks for that by the way, haha. But anyways, I hope you like the story because we sure do ;)**

* * *

 **Sasuke' POV**

As the morning sun began to rise over the sleepy village, the last of the Uchiha was slowly making his way across his family's front deck. Sasuke's movements were sluggish as he walked away from the lifeless house. He hated being there, he hated the memories, and he hated the emptiness. He was all alone. Ever since that day, the Uchiha Estate was desolate and barren. It was too quiet. The only sound he ever heard was the call of birds in the early morning.

Some of these birds were perched upon the gates surrounding the Uchiha Estate and as they sang their sounds drew his attention like siren. Everything else had changed in the manor since that awful day, everything but the birds… _and myself_. He lamented softly. _I am all that's left._ He was painfully reminded of that fact every morning he passed the cracked insignia of his proud clan, marked on the wall beneath the singing birds. Instantly, his onyx orbs darkened with the memories he wished he could forget as he stared at the symbol. _Today..._ Sasuke thought bitterly, _Today, I am one step closer to you._

With a heavy heart and a stomach clenched in hatred, Sasuke continued on his way to the Ninja Academy. Despite the fact that the streets were bustling with villagers, he barely even noticed them over the image of the cracked Uchiha insignia that was still seared in his mind. The people he passed on the streets all blurred into faceless nobodies. The only face that Sasuke cared about was the face of the man who had betrayed him, who robbed him of everything he loved, and who slaughtered his clan like livestock.

 _Itachi._

That name, that man, was like a curse.

"Sasuke! Sasuke-kun!" an overzealous voice cried out from across the street. Forced out of the dark corners of his mind, Sasuke's eyes shifted to meet a familiar pale green. _Damn... It's her, again._ Sasuke thought to himself as Sakura Haruno eagerly ran towards him. "Sasuke-kun, do you want to walk to the Academy together?" she asked somewhat breathlessly. She had begun fidgeting as she held her arms to her side nervously. Even if she was anxious, her eyes still held a hopeful light as she attempted to hold meet his impassive gaze. In the end, her craven nature won out and she lowered her eyes sheepishly to the ground.

"Sakura!" Another familiar girls' voice rang out above the crowd's background noise. The agitation she was feeling was clear just from her tone alone. Again, he looked towards the unpleasant sound to see Ino Yamanaka stomping over. She was fuming and her expression matched her voice perfectly. "What do you think you are doing?" she questioned as she gave a loathsome glare to the other girl. _Tch. She was here, too?_

"What am I doing? I'm walking to the Academy with Sasuke-kun!" Sakura boasted proudly, infuriating the blonde even more. Exasperated, Sasuke let out a silent sigh as he turned and simply continued on his way. The fighting girls were so caught up in their own world they didn't even notice his escape. He knew from experience they would be at it for a while.

"What!? Who do you think you are Bill-Board Brow! I told you to back off, Sasuke's mine!" Ino's enraged voice carries after him. A few of the town folk spared a passing glance at the two squabbling girls, but they soon went back to what they were doing. Honestly, he couldn't be more disinterested. All he wanted was for them to leave him alone but they did not know how to take the hint. It's like everything he said went in one ear and out the other with them.

"Like hell he is, Ino-Pig!" Sakura shouted back. Their voices began to fade into the distance as Sasuke traveled farther away. He was in a hurry now, not wanting to run into anyone else unpleasant before he reached the classroom. Someone such as Naruto Uzumaki. Somehow he managed to be even more annoying than the girls were. Constantly, the spaz would try to pick fights with him, and anyone really, even though he wasn't a match for anyone…let alone a Uchiha. Sasuke was miles ahead of that loser. He would feel bad for the dobe if he wasn't such a pain in the ass.

 _"I'll get you next time, Sasuke. Believe it!"_ He says after every failure. _Next time. Next time never comes._ Pathetic.

Luckily, Naruto wasn't a morning person nor was he punctual. Sasuke managed to make it to the classroom without further incident. He could hear the loud chatter of voices down the hall, but when he strode into the classroom, the taking died down. Feeling multiple pairs of eyes on him, Sasuke ignored their gazes and strolled over to his usual seat by the window. He stared out the window at the clear blue sky, his fingers laced together in front of his face as his mind once again began to wander.

 _Itachi..._

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he was overcome with a sense of foreboding. He was being watched by someone with bad intentions. He shifted his gaze from the window to meet a pair of blue eyes – bluer than the sky he was just staring at. Unfortunately, he also knew those eyes very well. _Naruto,_ he mentally groans to himself. What was he even doing here? "What?" he mutters, a slight hint of annoyance lacing his tone as he glared at the spiky-haired boy. He really wasn't in the mood to put him back in his place…again.

"What do you mean **what**!?" Naruto shouts back. He was so loud. He had been the one staring at _him._ Why was he even sitting beside him? It wasn't like they were friends, neither of them had friends. Sasuke didn't have friends because he didn't want them and he certainly didn't need them. Naruto didn't have any because nobody liked him.

"Sasuke-kun, can I sit next to you?" Sakura squealed, as she roughly shoved past Naruto and ignored his yelp of pain. A flash of heartbreak crossed the blonde's features, as he was rudely ignored by the girl, but he quickly stomached it and became green with envy. Sasuke glared at her for a moment, before he turned his angry gaze back to the window. _Damn that Naruto... If he hadn't sat there, no one else would have._ For whatever reason, Sakura took his silence as an invitation. As per usual, he supposed.

"Move it." Naruto suddenly growled as he jumped up onto the desk which protested with a loud groan from the added weight. Naruto balanced himself on the table directly in front of Sasuke and leaned forward so that they were at eye level. Sasuke's eyes darkened in annoyance, his fingers tightening their grip on each other as he struggled to control his anger. Naruto continued to lean closer, peering right into his eyes and _way_ too close for comfort. He could feel the dobe's cool breath on his face and with every breath he took, the hair fanning the side of his face moved ever so slightly. It was annoying. His eyebrows twitched with frustration.

"Naruto! Leave Sasuke alone!" Sakura shouted in fury at Uzumaki's behavior. Sasuke wasn't sure who was annoying him more. This was all her fault. Naruto was just jealous and was fighting with him to try to gain her attention. He would not be half as annoying as he was if he was not so jealous. It was clear as day that the dobe cared about the loud mouthed girl. Sasuke wished the blonde would just go away and stop wasting his time, but the rest of the class did not feel the same way. The other graduates did not want to let this go. They wanted to see a fight so they began to cheer for Sasuke to beat Naruto up…again.

Sakura and the rest of the class was ignored as Naruto and Sasuke glared into each other's else was irrelevant the moment their gazes locked in battle. _He was so annoying..._ Sasuke clenched his jaw in anger, half tempted to waste the five minutes it would take to beat Naruto up again, just to get the other boy out of his face. Each second that ticked by seemed longer than the last, and that made him angrier than the last.

He was just about to snap when suddenly Naruto's body lurched forward and their mouths crashed into one another. The pain and shock caused both of them to freeze as they gawked at each other with wide eyes and identical looks of horror. Neither of them moved, in fact, Sasuke didn't even think he could breath. He was frozen in disbelief. _T-The_ _ **idiot**_ _! What did he think he was d-..._ His train of thought was abruptly cut off as he tasted something so enticing it left his mind in shambles. What was he tasting? _He had to know._ Something tasted good. Really good. Somehow it was sweet and salty at the same time. Savory. It made his mouth water and unconsciously his tongue searched for more of that taste. _He had to have more._

Before it could find the source, Naruto reeled back and released a shriek of surprise. "Ah, yuck! My mouth is rotting!" he cried out as he covered his bleeding lips with his hands. It was enough to snap Sasuke out of his dazed state. His eyes widened in horror at what he had thought, what he had tried to do. Quickly before anyone could notice his folly, he wiped his mouth on his sleeve. _What the hell was that..._ he wondered, confused as to the strange feeling that began to stir inside him. The feeling of wanting more. No, _needing_ more.

It made him angry.

"Naruto, you moron!" he snaps, infuriated by his own conflicting emotions. "I'm going to kill you!" he growls as he finally hit his breaking point. _The stupid, stupid dobe!_ Sasuke's obsidian glare turned to Naruto, who was already holding his hands up in surrender to Sakura.

"I-It wasn't my fault, I swear!" he whimpered in fear as he tried to back away. Sasuke's hands clenched his fists so tightly together until his nails were digging into the sensitive skin of his palm. Seeing that Naruto was being taken care of, he slowly turned his gaze downwards to glare at the desk. He couldn't look at Naruto anymore or he really would kill him. He would have to let the girls deal with him. Maybe they weren't such a nuisance after all.

Slowly, Sasuke tried to regain control of his emotions. His breathing was ragged and his heart was racing wildly in his chest. Was that just from his anger or was it... something else? _No, that is ridiculous._ He decided. What else could it be? Naruto had just pulled the last straw and he had snapped. Still, there was something about what happened that didn't sit right with him. He just didn't know what that was.

* * *

"Starting today, all of you are real Shinobi but you must remember that you are still Genin. The hard journey that lies ahead of you has just started. Now, you will soon be given missions to help out the village. In order to optimize the chances of your success, we will create three man teams. Each team will have a three Genin and a Jounin sensei. You will need to follow your sensei's instructions in order to successfully complete your missions." Iruka-sensei's voice seemed to drone on and on.

Sasuke struggled to pay attention to what he had to say. He knew all of this already. Ikura-sensei might have to repeat himself all the time for idiots like Naruto, but he shouldn't be wasting everyone else's time. More importantly, _his_ time. _Damn that Naruto..._ His mind had just begun to wander when something Iruka had said dawned on him. _Tch. Three man teams? That only means two more people in my way._

The Uchiha's orbs stared past Sakura to Naruto who sat on her other side. The last thing he needed was a dobe like him getting in his way and slowing him down. He didn't need a team. He needed a teacher, someone who can actually help teach him to become stronger.

"We tried to balance the strength of all the teams." Iruka-sensei began listing the team assignments and Sasuke somewhat tuned him out. Because Sasuke didn't hear his name, he really didn't care. "Up next, Team 7." Iruka said as his eyes scrolled down the pages clipped to his clipboard. "Sakura Haruno." Sasuke gave a silent prayer he would not be stuck with her. Not only was she very annoying, but she was weak. He would much rather be on a team with a Hyuga or one of his stronger classmates who could at the very least hold their own in battle. Hopefully his teammates would come from a clan with useful abilities. "Sasuke Uchiha." Iruka continued and Sasuke slowly inhaled a deep breath. _Damn it._ He scowled. He really did not want to be on a team with her, but he supposed it could be worse. "And Naruto Uzumaki." Releasing the breath that he was holding, he sighed. Then again, no it couldn't.

"Iruka Sensei!" Naruto hollered. His loud mouth was starting to give Sasuke a headache. "Why does an outstanding Shinobi like me have to be on a team with that snob over there!?" he exclaimed, angrily pointing at Sasuke.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed on Naruto. _He is joking, right? No one could be that delusional._ "Sasuke's grades were the best of all 27 graduates," Iruka defends, "and yours were…. **dead last**. You do understand what I meant when I said we had to balance the teams, don't you?" Iruka sighs. Sasuke clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth in annoyance as his glare shifted from Iruka to Naruto. _Great, so because I was a good student I get punished with being stuck babysitting Naruto. The strong should be with the strong. The weak just have to get out of the way or die._

"Gah." Sasuke hissed in annoyance, looking out the window so he didn't have to look at Naruto anymore. The dobe was really pissing him off today. Much more than usual. "Just don't get in my way, dead last."

"What did you call me!?" Naruto erupts, his ego clearly wounded. Sasuke didn't even waste the time to spare a fleeting glance at him. It was a wonder how Naruto still had any pride left. His entire existence was an embarrassment.

"Give it a rest, Naruto!" Sakura shouted back in a vain attempt to beat him into submission. Fat chance of that working. Sasuke let out another sigh, and tried to tune out Naruto's constant whining and Sakura's ear-piercing scolding. They were very loud and very annoying. They both gave him a headache and he just wanted the two idiots to shut the hell up.

"Okay..." Iruka-Sensei began awkwardly as he scratched the back of his neck. "This afternoon we will introduce you to your Jounin Sensei's. Until then, take a break." And with that, they were dismissed. Sasuke was pretty sure he just wanted to get rid of Naruto and Sakura as much as he did. In fact, Sasuke wasted no time. He immediately stood and walked out, leaving the two to their bickering.

Sasuke made his way across the street to the Inn instead of going home. He ordered some food from the restaurant downstairs before making his way to a room to eat it. He did not want to stay downstairs surrounded by all those people. He needed to be alone. He needed to unwind. It was one of the reasons he didn't go back to the Uchiha Complex. He couldn't feel better there.

After kicking off his shoes at the door, he made his way to the window and opened it. Turning his back to the outside, he gazed around the dark room and took a moment to listen to the background noise; the chatty townspeople, the birds chirping, a dog barking in the distance, and the laughter of children playing. Noise. It was better than silence in his opinion, even if they were equally lonely.

His gaze shifted to his food when his stomach gave a small growl. He was starving. After quickly unwrapping his paper he took a big bite, his chewing slowing at the taste. It was... disappointing. He usually liked the Inn's food, but for some reason it tasted different today. Perhaps, they tried a new recipe? Sasuke forced himself to swallow and take another bite, each mouthful less pleasing than the last. Maybe the food had gone bad?

Out of nowhere, something hard collided with him from behind and knocked him to the ground. A low grunt escaped him as he hit the floor face first. As his head smashed into the ground, a loud thud echoed throughout the room. Feeling hazy as black spots swarmed his vision momentarily, he tried to gather his bearings. Where was this attack coming from? _From my blind spot!?_ He hissed to himself as he attempted to turn over, but he soon discovered he couldn't move because something very heavy was pinning him down.

His anger flared and so did his fear. Was he being attacked? Was it Itachi? Did he finally come back to finish him off?! Looking over his shoulder he could see that the person holding him down was clad in an unforgettable orange suit. It was the dobe. _I should have known._ Sasuke growled to himself. Naruto was sitting on the back of his shoulder blades, which only made his anger grow as he writhed beneath the blonde. "Get the hell off of me." he hissed angrily. He could feel and partially see Naruto tying his wrists together tightly with a thick rope. His hands struggled to break free but Naruto was able to tie the ropes faster than he could get lose. "Damn you, Naruto!" he spat while thrashing. How in the hell did **Naruto** sneak up on him? "What the hell are you doing!?" he spat out while thrashing erratically as a clone tied his legs together. He noticed two more clones waiting in the wings in case the two Narutos were not enough. The clones had their arms crossed over their chests as they grinned down at him. _Shadow clones? Since when could the dobe make shadow clones?_

"Don't resist!" the original laughs. "Not like you can anyways, idiot!" he whoops, rolling off Sasuke's back from crackling so intensely. "I told you I'd get you, Sasuke! I'm the best and I'm better than you! Believe it! You're not so tough." he boasted, causing Sasuke to grind his teeth in anger as he glared up at him.

"Untie me, Naruto." he growls lowly. How could he have allowed himself to be caught off guard by Naruto Uzumaki of all people. It was utterly humiliating.

"Not a chance!" Naruto cheered while crouching down and meeting his eyes. Naruto was practically glowing with triumph. With a cocky smirk dancing upon his lips, Naruto quickly formed a hand sign and wiggled his eyebrows with glee as a puff of smoke enveloped him. When the fog cleared Sasuke's eyes widen in surprise; much to his astonishment, he stared at a perfect replica of himself. "In fact, why don't you just lay around for a while." the impersonator smirked as he sauntered his way to the window. "Hehehe. Who's the idiot now?" he giggled to himself as he climbed out and ran off.

"Naru-" Sasuke roared as one of the shadow clones plastered his mouth shut with a thick roll of tape. His gaze shifted from the window to the shadow clone who was currently taunting him by sticking his tongue out and dancing, causing the others to laugh. _Even his clones are annoying..._

 _Damnit. Damnit. Damnit. What the hell!?_ He was going to kill the idiot the second he got these ropes off. Naruto had reached new levels of low. Making a fool of himself wasn't enough for him, now he had to pretend to be him, and ruin his reputation too? How could this even happen, it was Naruto! How could Naruto outsmart him? _Damn it. Damn it. Damn it._ This was inexcusable and downright embarrassing. He had dropped his guard and Naruto managed to get the upper hand on him. Pathetic.

He watched as the clones disappeared in a large puff of smoke. He guessed they were satisfied that he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. _Ha, stupid Naruto. Of course he'd make a rookie mistake like that. I'll show him what happens when he underestimates an Uchiha!_ Sasuke seethed as his eyes darkened and he focused on his chakra. " **Escape Jutsu!"** He bellowed.

Sasuke let out a grunt of relief as the constricting bindings were suddenly loosened and he could pull his tangled limbs free. He quickly sat up and paused to rip the tape from his mouth. "Nar...ru...to…" he snarled under his breath, crushing the tape in his hands and angrily tossing it to the side. Sasuke then bolted to his feet and lunged out the window after a soon to be dead Uzamaki.

 _When I gets his hands on him... Where was he? Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Where the hell is this stupid dobe!?_ Sasuke fumed as he prowled up and down the streets. Where would Naruto go while looking like him? The loser didn't think anyone was actually dumb enough to fall for that lame disguise, did he? _Damn it, what the hell was he doing!? Where could he have gone?  
_

* * *

"Oh! Sasuke-kun, you're so shy!" Sakura squealed as he made his way down the park path while hunting for the blonde. He had been completely oblivious to her presence because he wasn't searching for her. "I hope you are ready now. I sure am! Oh, you bad boy!" she giggled in that high pitched voice of hers. She shyly looked down as she rocked back and forth on her heels and blushed. _Tch_. He did not have time for this!

"I have to go." he muttered as he avoided eye contact in a vain attempt to silence her. Maybe she would finally get the hint and leave him alone. _Or maybe not_. He sighed as she continued to ramble on about whatever it was she was talking about. He paid her no mind as he was too busy scanning the other for anything out of the ordinary. He had to make sure Naruto wasn't going to pull another sneak attack. Sakura was here, so Naruto should be lurking around here somewhere. "Have you seen Naruto?"

"Hehehe!" Sakura giggled, as she inched closer to him. "Don't change the subject, who cares about Naruto?" she scoffs, her tone rapidly flipped from her failed attempt of seduction to one of irritation as she thought of the other boy. She was annoyed with him despite his affections, and this was a feeling he was personally well acquainted with.

Seeing that she wasn't going to be any help, just started to walk away when she continued to drone on. "All Naruto ever does is pick fights with you. It's because he didn't have a normal childhood, you know? He doesn't have any parents. He doesn't have a mother or a father." she says as if it was his fault. As if he was to blame for being alone. Her words were like daggers, piercing into Sasuke and stopping him in his tracks. Momentarily he forgot about his self-employed mission as he listened to her aggravating speech on how 'Naruto wasn't raised right'.

"He can do whatever he wants whenever he wants. If I acted like that I would be grounded for months. He's so lucky, now that I think about it. No parents to tell him what to do or not to do." she continued, each ignorant word that left her mouth infuriating him more and more. She kept talking and she wouldn't shut up. "That's why he always causes trouble, because he doesn't know what it is like to be in trouble. It must be nice to be alone like that." His eyes narrowed with an all-consuming hatred for the shallow, naïve, and selfish little girl.

"All alone..." he muttered darkly as his head bowed forward while his body grew tense and shook with rage and pain. Sasuke's eyes were hidden from view as his bangs shrouded his face in darkness. She did not need to see his eyes to hear the danger in his tone. "What would you know about loneliness?" he questioned, finally look up at her with a piercing glare filled with hate.

"H-Huh? What's wrong, Sasuke-kun?" she asked nervously as she took a fearful step back. She could tell he was clearly upset about something, but she just didn't know what. _She is clueless as ever._ Sasuke thought with loathing. She was upset because her parents grounded her; because she had someone who loved her, someone who cared about her, and someone who worried about her? Her parents wanted what was best for her and she took everything she had for granted.

"You're... annoying." he spat with as much malice as he could possibly muster. His gaze narrowed in on her for a moment, watching as his words sunk in. Her pain brought him a mild satisfaction. She deserved to know how it felt, to have even an inkling of an idea how Naruto felt. _Or how he felt_ , Sasuke weakly admitted to himself. The meager gratification he gained from her pain was fleeting and once again the emptiness returned. Telling her this would change nothing. She wouldn't know how it felt like to be truly alone because at the end of the day, she was still going home to a loving family. She would never understand.

Uncaring and uninterested in dealing with her any longer, he turned and began to make his way back to the Inn. Disgusted with all that had occurred, he could really care less about finding Naruto. He didn't care anymore and he just wanted to put all of this behind him. He didn't have to go out of his way to teach that idiot a lesson. Plus, Sakura had successfully redirected all his anger to herself. _That feeling you experience when you get in trouble..._ _At least, she gets to experience it._ He would give anything to live one day in her perfect, pampered life, and he knew Naruto would too.

"Ahh!" a panicked voice screamed which effectively pulled him out of his thoughts. He paused and looked up at Naruto as the blond skidded to a halt directly in front of him. _Of course, now that I'm not in the mood to deal with him he suddenly appears._ "Y-You're here!? How'd you get lose!" he stuttered, shocked by his escape. Did he really expect a couple of ropes to keep him tied up all day? _He really is an idiot._ Sasuke internally sighed.

"I used the Escape Jutsu. It is a very basic technique." Sasuke said dismissively as he began to walk around Naruto who was standing in his way. It should have been obvious. "Remember that next time…loser." he snorted condescendingly as he walked away. Naruto really wasn't even worth his time. He ignored Naruto's growls of frustration and anger. Though, the noise did bring a slight smirk to his lips. It was like music to ears – not that Sasuke would ever admit to that.

Sasuke was thankful that Naruto didn't even respond and just took off the other way. No doubt to find Sakura. He was hoping it would stay that way, but it wasn't long before the quiet was interrupted by a very loud and very angry shout. "Hey! Sasuke!" _Here we go, again._ Sasuke resisted the urge to sigh as he stopped and turned towards Naruto. Apparently he was interested in being a pain after all.

He said nothing as he looked at Naruto, watching the boy catch his breath for a second and waiting for him to say something idiotic like he always does. "You jerk! You said something mean to Sakura, didn't you?" he accuses. _Tch. Of course, this is about her._

"Hmph." he scoffed as he looked away. If Naruto had heard her, if he knew what she was really like, would he still like her? Probably. As far as Naruto was concerned, he was fairly certain the idiot did all his thinking with his other head. "Not really." he half shrugs. He could have much crueler. She just wasn't worth his time and neither was this.

"You big liar!" Naruto hastily accused. "If you didn't say something, then there's no way that she'd be as sad as she is!" Sasuke just responded with a blank stare. He didn't care about the girl and it showed. He was more interested in Naruto's blind loyalty to her. He couldn't understand how Naruto was genuinely upset at the fact that her feelings were hurt despite all the times she had made him feel so much worse. He let her walk all over him and then he still defended her while she trash talked him and his suffering behind his back.

The thought alone caused his anger flare again and he quickly looked away. "Alright, listen." Naruto grits out begrudgingly. "I hate to say it... but all Sakura wants is for you to accept her, Sasuke." Naruto admitted to him as if he didn't know that already. Why did he care so much about her being 'accepted' when he was the actual outcast himself?

"Like I care." Sasuke didn't even look back at Naruto. The trees were more interesting than this conversation. He was done with it. Naruto had no idea what he was talking about and he didn't have time to sit around and explain everything to the halfwit. Naruto could jump through hoops for Sakura and never get anywhere all he wants, but he was leaving.

"What!?" Naruto protested as Sasuke began to walk away. The brat was obviously outraged by his utter disregard of that annoying, ignorant girl's feelings. It was ironic considering how easily she disregarded the feelings Naruto had for her. _How selfless of him... and pathetic._

"You jerk!" he cried out. Naruto wasn't letting the issue go that easily. He never did. Instead of letting Sasuke just walk away, he grabbed his shoulder and spun him. _It looks like I'm going to have to teach him a lesson, anyways. Oh, well. He brought this on himself._

Naruto took a swing at him and it was almost comical to see how predictable his attacks were. It was far too easy to bat away the punch and throw him to the ground. If Naruto wasn't so weak then all the sparring he do might be good for his training. "What do you think you're doing?" Sasuke asked incredulously. There was a reason Naruto would never catch up to him and this was just annoying. There was no competition between them. The outcome was inevitable.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Naruto grunted as he picked himself up off the ground. "I'm taking you down! It's payback for making Sakura feel bad!" he proclaims, forming a hand sign.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

In a puff of smoke, multiple Naruto's emerge and run straight towards him. _Was that the best Naruto could do?_ Sasuke scoffed. Dealing with multiple Naruto's wasn't challenging for him. It would just be much more bothersome.

Sasuke glared at the group as they charged forward, dodging their punches and counter attacking with ease. There was no strategy or skill to their movements. They all shared Naruto's simple mind and came in swinging. Did Naruto really think he could beat him like that? Time after time, he throws the many Naruto's to the ground, but they kept coming back for more. _The only remarkable thing about Naruto is his resilience to never give up._ Sasuke acknowledged to himself.

One shadow clone was tossed to the side and then two more. Here comes another one. Ducking and dodging the punch, he punted the body and the clone disappeared in a puff of smoke. One by one the clones were kicked aside until there was only one Naruto left. The real one. Sasuke's glare hardened on the other boy who seemed startled by how things had turned out.

"What's wrong? Are you afraid to come at me one on one?" he taunted. Relying on numbers instead of ability was something the weak had to do to feel stronger. A hundred idiots were still just a hundred idiots. They were nothing but flies to be swatted down, in the way of a real shinobi.

Once again, Sasuke was grabbed from behind by some clones. "Hehehehe! Ha! You totally fell for it!" a clone exclaims giddily as he takes a swing. _What an idiot... Has he never heard of the Replacement Jutsu?_ "Ahh! It's me!" the real Naruto shouted just before the punch landed on him and sent him flying. That really was a strong punch...

"Don't you think that was a little over the top?" Sasuke murmurs as he watched Naruto roll across the ground after being struck. That punch was meant for him. Was he really that worked up over Sakura's hurt feelings? What, did he love her?

"Eh-heh..." One of the Naruto grins sheepishly as he scratches the back of his head in embarrassment. "I got a little excited, I guess." Naruto abashedly admitted before he realized Sasuke was standing right beside him. "Hey! Wait a minute! How did you get over there!?" He exclaims in disbelieve. _Did it really take him that long to notice? Naruto is completely oblivious._

Sasuke let out a snort as he turned and began to run off. As expected, the many Naruto's chase after him. Naruto would never realize that he was being led into a trap. "You're annoying; you know that?" Sasuke states matter-of-factly as he looked over his shoulder at clones. Steeling his gaze, Sasuke was ready to attack. He ran straight towards the trunk of a tree, kicked off of it like he had done a thousand times in training with enough force to send himself sailing through the air above the heads of the multiple Naruto's. His hands reached into his pouch and he pulled out several shuriken.

Before Sasuke even landed, he sent the shuriken spiraling towards the clones. One by one they went up in a puff of smoke until only one Naruto remained and he was the real one. When Sasuke landed on the ground again, he had backed Naruto into a corner through a one on one battle he could never win. None the less, the idiot charged head on as usual. Apparently, the swollen cheek from being punched in the face by his own shadow clone didn't paint a clear enough picture for him.

Once more, Naruto formed a hand sign. He was like a broken record. Was he seriously doing another Shadow Clone Jutsu? This kid never learned... As he drew closer, Naruto changed his hand signs with a victorious smirk. "Ha! Sexy Jutsu!" he shouted. Once more, he was enveloped by a puff of smoke.

What emerged was a female Naruto in a bikini. _This... is what he resorted to?_ Dumbfounded Sasuke didn't even blink. He was flabbergasted. _Is the fool serious?_ "Hiya, Sasuke." female Naruto called flirtatiously. She even let out a giggle. _Is this his attempt at being strategic? Did he really think something as stupid as a 'Sexy Jutsu' would actually work on me? The idiot really_ _ **does**_ _think with his other head._

"Ha! I got you!" the fake female determinedly cried out as she lunged forward intending to land a blow. That was all he was trying to do? He just wanted to land one hit on him and he couldn't even do that? Pathetic. Sasuke's fingers tightened on the wire connected to the shuriken, and he pulled it free from the ground behind Naruto and straight into the blonde's backside. The fake female stiffened in shock, before letting out a shriek of pain. That broke the jutsu and returned Naruto to his normal appearance as he grabbed at his wounded bottom with teary eyes. "Ouch! That hurts! That really hurts! Ow! Ow, ow!" he cried out as the shuriken fell to the ground, doing some sort of pain dance as he glared down at the ninja tool.

Sasuke sighed as he shoved his hands back into his pockets and looked at Naruto. The dobe was such a child. You couldn't even stay angry at him for long because you ended up feeling sorry for him. He was so immature and he wouldn't go far in life. Everyone knew this and that's probably why they all hated him. "Hmph." Sasuke grunted as he walked away, leaving Naruto to whine to himself about the pain. He was the one always asking for it.

"Hey, Sasuke! Where do you think you're going?! We're not finished yet!" he called after him. Sasuke ignored Naruto and only paused when he heard Sakura call out the blonde's name. He glanced over his shoulder and watched as the pinkette ran up to Naruto. _What did she want now?_

"Come on, Naruto! We have to get to class!" she reminded him. She raced away and Naruto eagerly limped after her like a love sick puppy. This just reminded him of what Sakura said earlier and he could feel himself growing angry again. Why did Naruto even like her? In fact, he wondered what went on inside Naruto's head. His musings reminded him that he wasn't even sure why the moron impersonated him in the first place.

 _It had to be something to do with Sakura._ he decided. He would not have transformed with the intent of hurting her feelings or else he would not have cared so much about her being upset. He wasn't cold enough for that. Did he just want to try and get closer to Sakura? It seemed like that was the type of counterproductive, idiotic plan a fool like him would think of. Then again, Sasuke thought back to how he would give up anything to spend just one day in Sakura's shoes. Perhaps Naruto wanted to spend one day in his, just to know at the very least what it would be like to be with Sakura. Even if that meant Sakura would have developed stronger feelings for Sasuke in the end. But it was Naruto. He might not have even thought about the last part.

With a sigh, Sasuke made his way back to the Ninja Academy. He was just about to head inside the classroom when he noticed Naruto was racing away. Where was he going? After brief pause, Sasuke decided to follow after Naruto as he scampered down the hallway. A scowl formed on Sasuke's features when he discovered that Naruto was rushing to the bathroom.

None the less, he had questions and he intended to get some answers. Sasuke waited in the hall for Naruto to come out and he grew more and more impatient with the longer it took. When Naruto finally did come out, he skidded to a stop in front of Sasuke, eyes wide in horror. "Sasuke!? You didn't hear anything, did you!?" he frantically questioned, embarrassed to be caught leaving the bathroom. _What kind of question is that?_

"Why did you transform into me?" Sasuke asked quietly as he ignored Naruto's question and jumped straight to his own. His eyes narrowed after Naruto continued to appear somewhat flustered. It seemed he was still recovering from whatever he thinks Sasuke might have heard. It didn't stop him from shouting something aggressive and Naruto-like.

"I thought it would be fun to try out my moves on you again, so I did!" he snapped back, immediately ready to pick another fight with him. Once again, he created a group of shadow clones. _No surprise there..._ Sasuke thought with an internal groan. _Why did he have to make a fight out of everything? Couldn't he have a normal conversation for five minutes without being a pain in the ass?_

"This time you're going to see what I can really do! Believe it!" Naruto cheered as he ready to attacked.

Just as he dropped into an offensive position, Naruto suddenly stopped. He was frozen in his tracks as all of their stomachs groaned in sync. The many Naruto's began to panic about having to go to the bathroom. It was a mad dash for the Naruto's as they raced for the toilet, tugging and pushing to try and get inside first. Naruto was already punched in the face by his own shadow clone and now this...

"What a loser." Sasuke snorted as he turned from the embarrassing scene and began to walk away. He couldn't stop the corners of his lips from faintly twitching upwards into a small smile. There really wasn't anyone else like him. Naruto's idiocy, though mostly annoying, had its moments.

 **Okay guys, so tell me what you think. Did you like it? What could be improved? etc etc. Come on, us Fanfic authors thrive on reviews. I'm also thinking of posting a chapter every Friday. That is going to be my update schedule (until school starts at least). So until next time, read and rock on!**


	2. Chapter 2: With A Splash, He Fights Back

**Hey guys, it's Lauren here. So I'm back with a new chapter. Thanks to all those who favorited and reviewed. Trust me when I say it, but reviews are like virtual candy to us authors. It really means the world to us. That being said, I'll take the time to respond to all those who reviewed. :D**

 **Tee: I'm glad you liked it :)**

 **Guest: I'm also glad you liked it haha. And to answer your question, it's a Sasunaru. I mean look at their personalities in canon. We (thing one and thing two) are striving to keep them as in character as possible. Just saying, Sasuke would clearly be the dominant one out of the two.**

 **Camilapaz3: Thank you so much! I love your review haha. You really made my day 3**

 **Once again, thanks to everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed. Okay, well now onto the story. ^.^**

* * *

 **Sasuke POV:**

"He's late." Naruto growled in irritation. He had long since run out of patience, not that anyone could blame him. Of all the teams, theirs was the only one who had yet to meet their sensei, let alone leave to do anything with the jonin. The fact they were still sitting there was getting on everyone's nerves. Sasuke did his best to ignore Naruto, but it was hard to tune out such a high level of obnoxiousness.

The door creaked open and Naruto poked his head out into the hallway for the hundredth time. His blue orbs scanned for their sensei up and down the hall once more before he angrily slammed the door shut. Clearly, their sensei was nowhere to be found. "Why is our sensei so damn late!?" Naruto exploded.

"Naruto, just sit down." Sakura huffed, especially eager to put Naruto down while Sasuke was around even though she probably felt the same way that he did. Perhaps it was her best attempt of making herself look better by making him seem worse? Either way, it was not working at all and it did not impress Sasuke in any way. The only thing he could notice was how much time they were wasting by just sitting there. If their sensei wasn't going to show up and train them, then he could at the very least let them go train on their own.

"I don't want to!" Naruto protested. "The other teams are probably already on an adventure or doing something cool and we are just sitting in this boring stinking classroom! We graduated the Academy so we shouldn't be stuck here!" the blond whined, his jealousy and envy obvious.

"We know, okay." Sakura sighed in exasperation. "We don't want to be here anymore than you do." she mumbled, her gaze flickering to Sasuke for a moment before she tried to hide her smile. Her cheeks instantly reddened at the sight of her crush. She was obviously not as annoyed as she said she was.

Naruto seemed to notice her lack of suffering as well, a scowl quickly formed on his lips. Just one more thing that Naruto was jealous about. "I'm going to teach our tardy teacher a lesson, believe it!" he exclaimed, eager to draw Sakura's attention back to himself. The trouble maker chuckled devilishly as mischief accented his features. By the looks of it, he had come up with a genius idea - not that the word 'genius' meant much by Naruto's standards.

Racing over to the teachers' desk, Naruto grabbed the chair and dragged it to the door. As he did so, the legs scraped against the floor resulting in an ear splitting screech. It seemed that even when Naruto wasn't flapping his lips, he was just loud in general. Sasuke found staring at the wall to be more entertaining than whatever Naruto was doing, but the loud noise caused his gaze to shift to boy as he stepped onto the chair. _What was he doing?_ Sasuke thought as his eyes narrowed. Why was he even bothering to do this? Nothing Naruto did would make their teacher arrive any faster nor would it make up for the time they lost. Time that he could have better spent elsewhere. _Anywhere else, really..._ Sasuke miserably thought to himself.

Sasuke eyed Naruto as he fumbled with an eraser in an attempt to wedge it between the door and the frame. His mind wandered to what had happened earlier that day. He had never wanted to kill Naruto so much. The dobe usually annoyed him but today he was being extremely annoying. First with the... lack of space in class. It was irksome but he tried not to let it bother him that much. It wasn't like it counted as an actual kiss, Naruto was just an idiot who happened to bump into him.

Sasuke was definitely bothered by the so-not-a-kiss thing; however, something else was even more worrisome. Something had happened to him physically when Naruto's face smashed into his and he just didn't know what. He did not know how to explain that feeling and he almost didn't want to. His mind went blank... _Shock? It had to be._ Sasuke mused. Out of all things he would have expected to happen, that would not have made even the bottom of his list.

Then, there was the incident with the rope and impersonation. That was also very troubling to Sasuke because he obviously was losing his touch if a halfwit like Naruto could pull a fast one on him. That faux pas gave the Uchiha even more reason to be annoyed now. He needed proper training and their teacher was nowhere to be found.

After a few failed attempts and nearly falling off the chair, Naruto was finally able to successfully wedge the eraser in the top corner of the doorway. As amusing it was to watch Naruto struggle to do something so simple, it was mildly depressing to witness because it reminded him of his own failure.

"Hey! Naruto, what are you doing!?" Sakura shouted in disbelief. "You're going to get us in trouble with our new sensei!" she scolded, but her lecture fell on deaf ears. Naruto stubbornly crossed his arms over his chest in defiance, his bottom lip jutting out as he pouted.

"That's what he gets for coming late. A surprise!" he snickered to himself. Sakura let out an exasperated sigh as she pretended that she wasn't excited by the idea. She might have been able to hide her smirk from Naruto, but Sasuke was able to see it clearly. If there was one thing good thing Sasuke could say about Naruto's personality it would be his honesty. He did not like two faced people.

 _Tch. They both act like children._ He groaned to himself bitterly. He deserved better than this. These are my teammates? These are the people I will be stuck with on missions? Thinking about it, Sasuke closed his eyes and let out the heavy breath he was holding _. I am so screwed. These morons will just be in my way, dragging me down with them._

"There's no way a jonin would fall for such a stupid trap." Sasuke scoffed knowingly, finally speaking up. The dobe could not honestly think he'd get away with it. The prank would never work. Sakura looked over at Sasuke as voiced his opinion, seeming somewhat disheartened before she took that change in heart out on Naruto.

"You know; you're asking for trouble. You shouldn't do tha-" Sakura began to chastise him again, but the sound of footsteps caused her to fall silent. They were the only ones left so if someone was coming... it had to be their sensei! He was finally here! Her eyes widened in anticipation as she eagerly watched the door with an expression nearly as hopeful as Naruto's.

The sound of a door sliding open pierced the silence of the room, demanding the attention of the three genin to the man as he entered. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke all watched with bated breath as the eraser began to fall. Time seemed to slow as it descended from its perch and directly on top of a man's head with a puff of chalk-smoke before clattering to the ground. ... _It actually worked?_ Sasuke thought in disbelief.

How could that have actually worked? This was supposed to be a jonin, one of the strongest and most respected ninja in the entire village. How was he supposed to train them to be stronger when he wasn't even aware enough of his surroundings to dodge a stupid eraser! A prank set up by **Naruto** of all people. He was actually furious that the prank had worked and he was disappointed that the man who was supposed to help them get stronger fell for such a simple booby trap. His future with Team 7 was looking more and more bleak by the minute.

"HAHAHAHAHA! I got him! He totally fell for it!" Naruto bursts out with laughter, boasting obnoxiously about how he outsmarted a jonin. The dobe was having the time of his life, managing to catch both Sasuke AND a jonin off guard in one day. As angry as it made Sasuke that their teacher was a lousy one, it did make him feel a bit better about his own humiliating moment.

"I'm so sorry, sensei! I told him not to do it but he wouldn't listen!" Sakura quickly cried out in fear of being reprimanded. "I'd never do something like that." She emphasized her innocence while Naruto continued to jeer in the background. All the while, Sasuke simply hung his head in disappointment. Whether he was more disappointed in his classmates' behavior or his teacher's, not even he knew.

The silver haired man studied them for a moment before looking up at the ceiling and rubbing his chin, deep in thought. It was hard to get a clear idea as to what he was thinking, considering the fact that most of his face was concealed by a mask. "How should I say this?" he stated. "My first impression is... I think you're a bunch of idiots." He says as his one visible eye shifts to each of the children.

The three genin were stunned by what he had to say. Sasuke felt even worse now because he did not want to be lumped in with the other two anymore than he already was. He was nothing like them and soon enough, their sensei was going to see that. "Meet me on the roof." the older and more experienced ninja commanded before walking out of the room without saying another word. The three new teammates were left to sit in silence.

 _Why didn't he just tell him to meet him on the roof to start off with?_ Sasuke hissed softly to himself. Three hours of sitting there, doing nothing but listening to Naruto complain... To have that sort of introduction? Sasuke would love to tell their so-called-teacher the type of first impression he made on him, but he remained silent. Naruto on the other hand, did not seem to share the Uchiha's feelings. He was just happy that they were going somewhere and doing something. _Instant gratification is all it takes with him._ Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto's childish behavior as the blond quickly jumped to his feet and scrambled after their teacher.

"Wait for me, sensei!" He cried out as he chased after the man. Sakura stood up and looked at Sasuke, obviously waiting to 'walk with him'. Did neither of them care about what an idiot their sensei was? Then again, why would they? They were both idiots themselves and they were nicely suited for each other.

"Are you coming Sasuke?" Sakura asked hesitantly. Sasuke did not respond; instead, he abruptly stood up and walked past her. Her ignorant words still echoed through his mind just as his lonely footsteps echoed throughout the empty hall.

* * *

The moment Sasuke walked onto the Academy's terrace, he was momentarily blinded by the bright sunlight. He squinted his eyes in an attempt to help shield them from the harsh glare, making it appear as if he was glaring at Naruto and their teacher. From what he could make out, the jonin was sitting on the railing that went along the outside perimeter of the roof. Naruto was sitting parallel to their sensei, bouncing around with excitement from his seat on the steps.

As Sasuke's eyes adjusted, he took a moment to look between them before he heard Sakura approaching. Quickly, he strolled past to the far side of Naruto to take a seat a few feet away. His elbows rested on his knees as he laced his fingers together, staring expectantly at their teacher as he waited for the man to begin speaking while Sakura predictably sat down on his other side.

"Well, now that we're all here, let's begin with introducing ourselves." The silver hair man began. When he was met with silence, his gaze shifted between the three of them. "It's not hard. Just tell us a little about yourselves. Things you like, things you hate. Dreams for the future. Favorite hobbies." The jonin's list trailed off, waiting to see if anyone would speak up.

"Why don't you tell us about you first so we can see how it's supposed to work?" Naruto suggested, earning a nod of agreement from Sakura. _This is stupid, what is the point of this?_ Sasuka brooded, watching as their sensei sighed with exasperation.

"Me?" he hummed. "Well, I'm Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate…." His voice trailed off, paying no attention to Naruto and Sakura gasping in surprise. They recognized his name too, then. _Kakashi Hatake..._ He was a well-respected and even feared ninja of the leaf. They should be able to learn a lot from him, but that image of an eraser landing on his head was forever burned into the back of Sasuke's mind, filling him with doubt. He knew better than to believe everything people say, what if the rumors weren't true? "Well I don't feel like telling you that." Kakashi continued. "My dreams for the future? I've never really thought about it. As for my hobbies? I have lots of hobbies." He finished with a shrug, his tone nonchalant like he had no care in the world. _Is he not taking us seriously? Them I understand... Damn it. I'm never going to get anywhere with them dragging me down._

"Well, that was pointless." Sakura scowled, her lips forming a pout as she looked to her teammates. "All he really told us is his name." she whispered, as if he wouldn't be able to hear her. Naruto nods in agreement.

"Alright, your turn." Kakashi says, ignoring their befuddlement as he focused his attention to Naruto. "You on the right. You first." he said as he crossed his arms over his chest and waited expectantly. A grin pulled on Naruto's lips and he let out a small chuckle. _The dobe is probably just happy to be picked first for once in his life..._ Sasuke thought, barely sparing Naruto a glance from the corner of his eye.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki!" he proclaimed with pride as he reached up to wiggle his headband, attempting to show it off like the others didn't have one themselves. "I like instant ramen in a cup and I really like the ramen that Iruka-sensei gets me at Ichi-Ramen Noodle shop. I hate the three minutes you have to wait before you can eat the ramen though. My hobby is eating different kinds of ramen and comparing them, but really, I love all ramen." he chuckles sheepishly,

Sasuke couldn't help but to be dumbfounded. He couldn't actually be serious, could he? But no, from the look on his expression, he was. His likes, dislikes, hobbies- his entire life, revolved around… ramen? It was hard not to snort, laugh, or simply glare at him for his simple idiocy. Instead, he remained silent. He was beginning to tune Naruto out, having long since lost interest. What he said next though, was ridiculous enough to make Sasuke turn and look at him incredulously.

"And my future dream is-" Naruto began, getting even more worked up and excited as he punched his fist up into the air. "-to surpass all the past Hokages! I'll be the greatest Hokage ever, believe it!" He exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear as he lowered his fist from the air to fiddle with his headband again. "Then everyone in the village will have no choice but to stop disrespecting me and acknowledge who I am!"

Kakashi remained silent, giving no indication to what he thought of Naruto's speech. Sakura still seemed to be trying to process what Naruto had said. Sasuke on the other hand, could at least understand where Naruto's future dream was coming from. He wasn't blind, he could see how everyone treated Naruto. Everyone could but no one mentioned it. It wasn't shocking that Naruto would want to be accepted - it was more so shocking the method in which he wanted to go about it. He would never become Hokage.

The jonin's gaze shifted to Sasuke after a brief pause to let Naruto's words sink in. Maybe he was just as surprised as the rest of them. "Alright, next." he prompted. Sasuke knew that was his cue and took a deep breath before he began. _This is stupid._

Sasuke did not like the idea of having to explain himself, but he knew there was little choice. His onyx eyes darkened as he glared ahead of him at nothing in particular. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things and I don't particularly like anything." He drawled, ignoring Sakura's disappointment as she looked away with her head hung low. "What I have is not a dream, because I will make it a reality. There is a certain someone... that I am going to kill."

A pregnant pause filled the air after Sasuke's speech. Neither Sakura nor Naruto knew what to make of the vow. Their eyes locked with each other for a moment, before their gazes shifted between Sasuke and Kakashi. Honestly, they didn't know if they should fear Sasuke or admire him. Only Kakashi seemed neutral to Sasuke's response. In fact, all he did was blink and turn his gaze to Sakura. "Next."

Sakura stiffened slightly as the attention was shifted to her. Her eyes looked to Sasuke for a moment, but the boy wasn't even looking at her. "I'm Sakura Haruno." she said proudly, her confidence fading with each moment that she went unnoticed by Sasuke. "What I like, ah. I mean, the person I like..." she began to stutter, her face glowing a soft pink as she became increasingly flustered. She completely lost her cool after emitting giddy hums and softly laughs. "M-My hobby is, uh. My future!?" she squealed as she hid her blushing face behind her hands.

"Sakura-chan..." Naruto whined, completely disheartened. Even someone as thick headed as he was could tell what she was trying to talk about. _Annoying._ Sakura seemed to snap out of her fangirling, a scowl forming on her lips as she glared at the blond.

"And what I dislike is Naruto!" she snapped angrily. Naruto's eyes widen in shock but before he could make some loud exclamation, Kakashi chimed in.

"Good. You are all... unique." he hesitated, a condescending tone laced to his voice. "You each have your own ideas and desires. Now that we have gotten to know each other some more, enough with the introductions. We'll have our first mission tomorrow." Kakashi informed them as he stood up and straightened himself out.

Naruto eagerly jumped to his feet, excitement radiating from him. "Alright! What kind of mission? Is it going to be dangerous? It won't be no sweat, believe it! This is going to be great, we are finally out of the Academy!" he cheered. "What's our mission?"

"It is more of a task than a mission, really..." Kakashi mused. Naruto's eagerness quickly began to dissipate. "You three will be executing a survival test, together." he said, completely crushing Naruto's anticipation. To Naruto, a test was a just test. For him, there was no fun or glory in something that was intellectually based. The idiot would rather let his fists do the talking.

"What about our first mission!? We graduated, so why do we have to take more stupid tests!?" Naruto exclaimed, defiantly crossing his arms over his chest as he began to sulk. He did not want to take a dumb test, he wanted to go on a super cool mission and kick some ninja butt!

"Well, I wasn't going to tell you guys because I knew you'd freak out." Kakashi burst out in quiet chuckles, especially when Naruto and Sakura proceeded to beg him to tell them what was going to make them 'freak out'. "You see; the thing is... out of the 27 graduates only nine of you will be chosen to become genin. The rest of you will be sent back to the Academy." he said dismissively, even giving a shrug of his shoulders as if he couldn't possibly care less. "This survival test is actually a very difficult exam with a failure rate over 66 percent!"

"W-W-W-WHAAAT!?" Naruto shouted, horror etched into his features. Sakura wasn't as afraid of the test as Naruto was, but she was not happy about it either. She was more dreading it than anything, whereas Naruto was panicking. Even Sasuke was a little shaken. He couldn't afford to be sent back to the Academy. He wouldn't be. It was shocking... but he was the best in the class. He was an Uchiha. Failure was not an option.

"See? I told you you'd freak out." Kakashi laughed, his tone patronizing.

"No way! We worked so hard!" Naruto was outraged. "What was the point of graduating, then!?"

"Oh, that? Heh." He coughed as he attempted to smother his laughter. "That? That was just to see who is even eligible for the chance to become a genin and a full-fledged ninja. You didn't think being a shinobi was going to be that easy, did you?" Kakashi asked, taking a moment to let his eyes shift over the faces of his disgruntled students. "Anyways..." he continued with a bored sigh. "Tomorrow. You three will be facing me at the training grounds. You will have the chance to show your true skills, your real potential. Bring all of your ninja tools and skip breakfast, would you? I don't need you throwing up all over the field." he said as he walked towards them and pulled out a stack of papers. "Here are the details."

One by one, they take the papers from him. Naruto was the worst at hiding his anxiety. "Throwing up... Is it really going to be that hard!?" he squawked to himself in disbelief. Sasuke swallowed tightly as he looked over the details described on the paper. His jaw clenched as he closed his hand into a fist, balling and crumpling the paper up in his palm. He was nervous, but he could not lose. No matter what, at whatever costs. He had to pass.

 _Itachi..._

Just like that, Kakashi had left without so much as another word or further explanation. Sasuke stood abruptly and followed his suit, leaving Naruto and Sakura behind on the roof. He wanted to get in a few more minutes of training, pack his things for the morning, and get a good night's sleep. Then tomorrow, he would show Kakashi who he was messing with. By crushing his competition, he would prove exactly how powerful and how skillful the Uchiha clan really is.

* * *

The next morning, Sasuke woke up a few hours early to get there before everyone else. Their sensei was full of surprises and he wanted to be prepared for anything. He **hated** surprises. Thinking back on yesterday's events and how Naruto ambushed him, hie scowled. That was the surprise of a life time. _It will NOT happen again._ he swore. As the sun peaked over the horizon, he began his lonely and solemn march to the training field. This morning was just like every other morning for his constant companion was utter silence. All he had to keep him company and fill the void were the birds. They always seemed so happy, even in a place as defiled as the Uchiha Manor. It was lonely but at least he was left alone and it was peaceful.

"Sasuke-kun!" A voice calls out. Apparently he spoke too soon. This high pitched voice pierced the calm and quiet, something he found greatly upsetting. He did not stop to see who had called out his name, for he already knew who it was. Instead, he just quickened his pace. His attempt was in vain because the sound of running footsteps followed close behind him. "Sasuke-kun! You wanted to get an early start too, huh?" Sakura beamed as she matched his pace beside him.

Sasuke remained silent, not even sparing her a passing glance as he walked. He did not process that she was still talking because it was a habit of his to just tune her voice out. She raised her voice as she grew more desperate to get some sort of a response out of him. Finally, he snapped. He froze dead in his tracks just as the two neared the meeting place, a small bridge, turning to glare at her as she looked at him in shock. "Stop." he demanded. "Just stop." He sighed.

"E-Eh!?" She stutters, taken aback by his sudden change. "Stop what?"

"Stop talking." He looked at her with distain. "You're annoying." An expression of surprise and pain fluttered across her features. Sakura couldn't even apologize like she wanted to because she had to lower her head in order to hide her tearing face. She was irritating him again and because of that, she would feel the same pain she inflicted on Naruto for a second time.

"Sasuke!" An angry voice growled out from behind them. "How dare you talk to Sakura-chan like that! I'll make you pay, believe it!" Naruto shouted. Sasuke turned to look at him, blinking in surprise as he saw the flash of orange running his way. "You jerk!" Naruto spat out as he stopped short in front of Sasuke. He looked to his left, his gaze softening as he saw the tears running down her face. Looking back at Sasuke, he clenched his teeth and his eyes darkened with rage. Sasuke just raised one eyebrow in response, as if to say _Yeah? What are you going do about it?_ Naruto glared at him with as much malice as he could possibly muster before letting out a battle cry and tackling Sasuke to the ground.

 _Twice..._ he was caught off guard twice now. He didn't think Naruto would actually be stupid enough to attack him in broad daylight, one on one. Anger flooded through Sasuke as he thought about how Naruto kept getting the jump on him. _I need to be better that. I am better than this_ , he reassured himself as he soared through the air.

A grunt escaped Sasuke when the blonde's shoulder collided with his stomach, but he ignored the pain. His hands tightly gripped the back of Naruto's obnoxiously orange jumpsuit as he growled out "I'm getting sick of this." Somehow his two teammates managed to wear out his patience for the day, even though it was only eight in the morning. Sasuke did not hold back as he brought his knee up against Naruto's stomach, hearing a satisfying grunt of pain from the energetic, overzealous fool, before throwing him over his shoulder. The blond struggled as Sasuke turned and tossed Naruto off the side of the bridge towards the river below.

Naruto cried out in surprise as he was suddenly sailing through the air and he reached out to grab something, anything. What he happened to grab onto was Sasuke's hair. Just like that, the weight of the falling boy pulled the other right over the rail with him. They tumbled towards the river and a loud splash echoed as the two hit the water. "Naruto! Sasuke!" Sakura called out as she raced to the edge of the bridge and looked down at the bubbling water.

A moment later, two heads poked out over the water's edge, each gasping for breath. Shaking the water out of his hair, Sasuke glared at Naruto as water dripped down his face. Naruto simply responded with a large cheeky grin. Sasuke exploded and lunged towards the blond. The two childishly continued their fight as they pushed and pulled at one another as they swam. "You idiot!" Sasuke hissed angrily as he dunked Naruto's head underneath the water for the third time. Naruto resurfaced and laughed as he failed to copy Sasuke's move in retaliatation.

"What's wrong Sasuke? Not afraid of a little water, are you?" Naruto taunts back with a foxy grin. His blond hair was drenched and it stuck to his tan face, giving him the appearance of a surfer. Naruto was the only one whose head had been fully submerged since their initial fall. Sasuke ignored Sakura as she yelled at the two of them to break it up.

"Guys stop it!" she shrieked. "What happens if Kakashi-Sensei shows up?" Sasuke could barely hear her over the splashing.

Suddenly, he was yanked under the water and his grip on Naruto was slacking as he was pulled deeper into the river by two shadow clones. The real Naruto quickly broke out of his grasp and swam towards the edge of the river. He crawled onto the bank and sprawled out in the sand, panting for breath. It wasn't long before Sasuke swam after him, making easy work of the shadow clones. Sasuke stomped up to Naruto, his clothes soaking wet and dripping water everywhere as he spat "What the hell is wrong with you!?"

He then tackled Naruto to ground and landed on top of the blond. Using his own body weight, he pinned Naruto beneath him. This did not stop the Uzumaki from flailing in an attempt to get away. "Get off of me!" Naruto shouted, but his cries were muffled as they continued to roll around in the sand. Sasuke finally managed to get on top of him and land a strong punch. This action stunned Naruto long enough so that Sasuke was finally able to pin him down.

"You keep picking fights with me over a girl who never looks your way." Sasuke hissed as he held down the struggling blond. "She doesn't even like you! She doesn't love you!" he growled, straddling Naruto's waist as he delivered a strong punch to his cheek. "What the hell is the point!?"

With that comment, Naruto abashedly looked away from Sasuke and his movements stilled. He abruptly stopped fighting and it seemed like he gave up. Sasuke paused, just as he drew his hand back to punch Naruto for the third time. His blazing onyx orbs locked on the Uzumaki's scrunched up face. A moment went by and Naruto hesitantly opened his bright blue eyes to meet Sasuke's dark ones in silence. Then the realization dawned on him. _He actually loves her..._ He slowly lowered his arm as his other hand tightened his grip on the front of his orange jacket. _I can't believe he actually loves her._ _He's such an idiot._

"What is going on here?" an exasperated tone sighed from behind them, causing the two of them to jolt in surprise. Looking over his shoulder, Sasuke could see his Sensei had finally arrived. After yesterday, they were all honestly expecting to be kept waiting a lot longer. Perhaps even all day.

"You're not late!?" Sakura and Naruto both exclaimed, shocked. Kakashi sauntered his way past them, giving a loud sigh rather than glancing at the two boys frozen in in place. Sasuke was still straddling Naruto's waist and remained silent, looking back down at Naruto with a glare. Just as he was about to stand up and step away from Naruto, their sensei chuckled as he eyed them up and down. Underneath his breath he muttered "I didn't know the two of you swung that way. That explains quite a lot."

Mortified and with cheeks blazing, the two boys quickly jumped away from each other as if they were on fire.

"It's not like that!" Naruto cried out in shame. "I swear it's not like that!"

"Sureeee it's not." Kakashi laughed patronizingly.

Sasuke just glared at his sensei _. How dare he suggest that he, the last Uchiha, would do something like that…with_ _ **Naruto**_ _of all people?_ Glancing at the dobe, he could see that Naruto was looking anywhere but at him and was still blowing up at their sensei. He was wet, dirty, and covered in sand from head to toe. His left check was also swelling from where he was punched. That looked nasty and it would definitely bruise. _He deserved it._ Sasuke scoffed.

Kakashi looked at the pair before pulling out a book that was titled _Icha Icha Paradise._ Flipping open to a page, he glanced at the two before muttering "Makes sense." When Naruto loudly objected and demanded to see the page, he then turned the book towards them. After seeing exactly what was on that page, it turns out Sasuke really didn't want to know.

"YOU PERV!" Naruto screeched after their sensei as he walked away chuckling.

Sasuke quickly took another step away from Naruto just to further the distance between the two of them. He was embarrassed to be caught fighting with Naruto like that. And he was especially embarrassed that their sensei came to that conclusion after seeing the two of them in such a compromising position. Naruto raced ahead to follow their sensei like the good dog he is and Sakura wasn't far behind him. Looking at the blonde's retreating figure, Sasuke tightly swallowed before following after the jonin himself.

Kakashi led his team to three stumps in the middle of an abandoned clearing before placing an alarm clock on one of them. "This clock is set for noon." he says as he pushed down on one of the levers to turn it on. Sasuke's eyes shifted to the time as it began to tick away. They were already on the clock and they didn't even know what they were supposed to do. His gaze returned to Kakashi and he sees him pull out two bells from his pocket, holding them up for his students to see. He jingled them as he spoke. "This is called the Bell Test. All you have to do is take these bells from me before time is up."

"What happens if we don't get the bells before noon?" Sakura asked nervously. Kakashi tilted his head, before pointing to the stumps.

"Those who don't have a bell by noon, get no lunch. You'll be tied to the posts and forced to watch me while I eat." he said evilly, causing Sasuke to glower at him. So, that was why Kakashi said not to eat breakfast. He was already hungry... but Sasuke wasn't worried. Getting a bell was simple enough. It shouldn't be too hard.

"If we get the bells though, we'll pass. Right?" Naruto asked, grinning ear to ear with confidence. He obviously thought that getting a bell wasn't going to be a problem either.

"Oh, right. I forgot to mention." Kakashi added, causing the three of them to pause. What was he going to throw at them now? "You only need one bell and as you can see, there are only two bells available. So at least one of you will definitely be tied to a post. That person, will fail the test and be sent back to the Academy." he said while looking between the three of them. So, this **was** the test after all. No matter what, he would get one of those bells.

"One of us is going to fail, no matter what!?" Sakura exclaimed, clearly panicking. Even Naruto was sweating with concern a little bit. Though, it could have just been water dripping down from his still soaked hair.

"Correct. You may use any tools or jutsu you wish, there aren't really any rules as to how you go about getting the bells. I will tell you this, though; you will never get one unless you come at me with the full intent to kill."

"Intent to kill!? But that is dangerous, don't you think that is a bit too much?" Sakura asked, clearly shocked and concerned.

"Ahaha! Yeah, Kakashi-sensei. You're so slow you couldn't even dodge an eraser. You'll definitely be in big trouble if you want to go against me, believe it!" Naruto laughed as he tucked his arms behind his head.

"In the real world, those with no talent or skill often bark the loudest. We'll ignore Mr. Dead-last and begin when I sa-" Kakshi began, but he didn't get the chance to finish his sentence because Naruto whipped out a kunai.

"I'll show you **dead** last!" he roared, but before he could even take a step or throw the kunai, Kakashi was already behind him. The silver haired ninja had a firm grip on his hair with one hand while the other held the boy's wrist, pointing his own kunai at the back of his neck.

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke's eyes were all wide with shock. So, this is a jonin. He was _fast_ and none of them had even noticed that he had moved. He might appear to be a fool, but they were finally reminded of why he has the reputation as one of the Leaf's most formidable ninja. Sasuke swallowed tightly, his stomach tightening with anxiety. After that display, he was feeling less certain about his chances.

"Relax. I haven't even said 'start', yet." Kakashi murmured disapprovingly. "Well, it seems like you will have no problem coming at me with the intent to kill." Kakashi mused as he took a step back, watching as the expressions on the three genin's faces changed into something much darker and so much more serious. "So, you've finally acknowledged you're dealing with a jonin, huh?" he declared, giving a small laugh. "I might like you guys after all. Okay, then let's get going. Ready?" he paused, shifting his gaze to bore into each of them. "Begin!" he shouted, disappearing into a puff of smoke not a second later.

Sasuke tightened his grip on the kunai that he had slipped out of his pocket. With a knowing smirk on his lips, he disappeared into the trees. His entire team had scattered. _This is it. I'm one step closer to you…big brother._ he thought to himself. _So it begins._

 **So thanks again, all you lovely people, who took the time to read my story. Tell me what you think by pressing the shiny shiny, pretty, pretty review button belllooowwwww. Anyways, you guys are awesome. I'll have the new chapter - the bell test - next Friday for ya. Until then, read and rock on! :D**

 **Oh, and another thing. Really quick, but really important. ARE YOU -drum roll please- TEAM VALOR, TEAM MYSTIC, OR TEAM INSTINCT? SOUND OFF IN THE COMMENTS BELOW! Okay now bye for real. Peace out!**


	3. Chapter 3: Good Advice

_A/N:_ _Howdy, ya'll! This is Thing 2, the Anonymous Author. We will just be referring to me as AA or Thing 2 from now on and LethalLauren will be LL or Thing 1. My text will be underlined while hers will be bolded. Just to keep it simple so you guys can tell us apart. Thank you for staying tuned for another chapter and a special thank you everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed. It means the world to us to read your guys thoughts. Please remember to keep the feedback coming! This is gunna be a bit of a longer Author's Note just to respond to everyone who replied but here we go:_

 _shming a ling: Nice. Thing 1 is team Mystic, too. I have an account for every starter (including Pikachu) because I am a complete freak like that, lol. So, I have an account for every team, though I main team Instinct. _**(LL: She's such a weirdo I swear –pointy eyed look at AA)  
** _  
T.K. Virgo: Thank you for the review! Glad you like it! _**(LL: Yay! –cheers-)**

 _Guest: Lol, Ikr Kakashi is such a ball-buster. Ya know, technically, Naruto didn't deny he swung that way, either. ;) _**(LL: really? It's too soon for that.)**

 _Tee: I couldn't agree more. The sad thing is that how she treats him in our story is nearly identical to canon, at the moment. That is one thing we are definitely going to change as Naruto begins to understand more about what love is. Same thing with Kakashi's dead last jab, that was completely canon too and super douchey of Kakashi. I do not think he truly believes it, though, and is simply meant to get under Naruto's skin and rile him up. Still, poor Naruto. /3 _**(LL: I totally think Kakashi should have been apart of Naruto's life. I mean, he was super close to his father. It would have been the moral thing to do. Same for Jiraiya.)**

 _Guest: Physically, aka sexually, the pairing is most likely going to be SasuNaru as LL said in Chapter 2, which we based the pair name off of. We really struggled with how we were going to label their pairing because you are right, when it comes to the emotional aspects of their relationship, Naruto is the more dominant most of the time where as Sasuke is more reserved but that does not mean that Sasuke does not display dominance, too. Relationships are like a dance, they give and take. Their types of dominance are very different, but complement each other nicely. In the end, when it comes to the bedroom, I have to agree with LL that Sasuke is the one wearing the pants, though who knows? Maybe they like to switch it up, lol._

 _Guest: Yeahhh, that's what I'm talking about. -le high five from AA-_

 _Clio1111: For the first couple of chapters, yes, we will follow fairly closely to the original. We did that so you guys can see the subtle differences we are building up to. As the story progresses it will diverge more and more from the canon as you can see. Chapter 3 for example has many more differences than Chapter 1. We felt that it was the best way to have realistic character and plot development. :)_

Pokemon Go Tally: **2** – Team Mystic ( **LL: mystic for the WIINNNNNN –cheers-) 1** – Team Instinct, and **0** for team valor.

 **LL: Okay here we go guys. Hope you like this chapter! 3**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Good Advice  
Naruto POV:**

After Kakashi-Sensei disappeared in a puff of smoke, Naruto and his classmates scattered into the trees. There were a few moments of silence before the fog cleared to reveal that Kakashi had never left the center of the clearing. The silver haired jonin was looking around for any signs of his students, though he couldn't find any. _Sasuke and Sakura-chan hid themselves well_ , Naruto thought as looked down at their sensei from his perch high in the branches of a nearby tree.

Watching their clueless sensei below him, Naruto clenched his fists in determination. He knew what he had to do. This was his chance. It was his chance to be the first one to get the bell and prove everyone wrong.

"A ninja must be able to conceal his movements and hide effectively." Kakashi lectured to the empty field where his students used to be. "At least they understood that part." He noted to himself. "Then again..." he added as there was a snap of a twig behind him that drew his attention.

Naruto froze in shock. He had tried to quietly jump down and begin his sneak attack but he landed on a stupid stick! As he felt the gaze of the jonin laser in on him his mind raced for a way out of the mess he had created. _I'll just have to beat him the old fashion way!_

Unfazed, he crossed his arms over his chest as he struck a confident pose. "You and me, right now!" He shouted, an eager grin pulling at the corners of his lips. "Fair and square! Let's go!" Naruto challenged. Kakashi didn't give the response he had been hoping for and instead simply tilted his head to the side in obvious confusion. Was the jonin just not taking his rambunctious pupil seriously? _I'll show him. I'll show them all... I just have to figure out how!_

"Come on, then!" Naruto called out, eager to start the fight. He learned his lesson from earlier - running straight at him was not going to be enough but he didn't know what would be. He was hoping Kakashi would make the first move and give him a something else to go off of.

"You know, compared to the others, you're a little bit weird." the man stated as he looked Naruto over disapprovingly. It was a look that Naruto had seen plenty of times before, and frankly, it filled him with anger.

"The only thing weird here is your haircut." Naruto countered before releasing a battle cry and charged towards the ninja.

"My hair?" Kakashi huffed as if he was mildly offended by the comment. He paid no attention to Naruto charging towards him as he instead tried to straighten his wayward silver hair.

"Here I come!" Naruto roared, his anger temporarily clouding his judgment as he went to take a swing.

Kakashi sighed, ignoring his student as he charged forward. Instead, he reached into his pocket and fumbled around for something. _A kunai? Or some type of ninja tool_? Naruto thought as he skidded to a stop and dropped into a defensive position. He couldn't afford to take any chances and be caught off guard, he had to see what tricks Kakashi had up his sleeve. This was the only thing standing between him and becoming a full-fledged ninja. He could **not** afford to mess up.

"Shinobi battle techniques, part one: Taijutsu. You ready to learn?"

Naruto released a gasp of surprise and took a step back. _Taijutsu._ he thought to himself. _That's hand to hand combat!_ Snarling, he readied himself for an assault. _Then why is he reaching into his pocket for a weapon?_ He wondered. _What is he playing at?_

"Ah-ha!" Kakashi exclaimed as he pulled something out of his pocket. _A book?_

"What the...?" Naruto stuttered in confusion, his brow furrowing. Why did he have a book? What was he doing? Was it some kind of trick?

"Well, what are you waiting for?" The jonin asked with a bored tone as he began to flip through the pages. "Make your move."

"But I mean-" Naruto stammered. He was caught completely off guard despite his attempt at playing it smart. Naruto's eyes narrowed on the book. Upon a closer examination he recognized the cover. _Icha Icha Paradise_... "Hey, you perv! That's the gross book from earlier! Why are you reading that thing!?" he hollered with disgust.

"Why?" Kakashi laughed at the silly question. "To find out what happens next, of course." When Naruto continued to blink at him in stupor, he continued "Don't let it bother you. As weak as you are, it doesn't matter if I'm reading or not. Honestly, I could be doing anything right now and it wouldn't make a difference." He waved Naruto off dismissively.

At first, the boy was shocked. That feeling didn't last long however, and soon he became enraged. He was clenching his fists so tightly that he felt his nails digging painfully into his palms. He wouldn't even be surprised if his hands had begun to bled. He hated being waved off like that. "I'll show you weak! I'm going to totally kick ass!" he shouted and he charged at his teacher once more. With as much strength as he could muster, Naruto threw a punch towards Kakashi's left side.

Almost like lightening, the attack was blocked by the jonin's right hand. Kakashi wasn't even looking at him; his gaze was solely focused on that book, yet his hand had crossed over to easily defend himself against the assault.

Naruto did not let his failure or his sensei's lack of attention faze him. He immediately started to attack again. This time, he attempted to land a big, roundhouse kick. Like before, it was no problem for Kakashi. The jonin simply ducked and the kick soared right over his head. Relentlessly, Naruto planted a foot firmly on the ground and let his momentum pivot him to send him rocketing right back at his sensei.

His punch should have landed. Kakashi should have been right there…but he wasn't. When his fist failed to make contact with a body, Naruto gasped in surprise. "Huh?" he blinked. _Where did he go? He was just here!_ Naruto panicked as he saw nothing but air.

"A shinobi isn't supposed to get caught from behind. Don't let your enemy get behind you so often, stupid." A voice chided him and sent a rush of fear coursing through Naruto's veins. He could not stop his body from freezing, no matter how much he tried to force himself to move _. He's behind me? How did he get behind me!?_ Naruto panicked.

"Naruto! Get out of there quick! You're going to get killed!" a high pitched, frantic voice called from behind the bushes. _Huh? What? Sakura?_ Naruto blinked, turning to look towards the sound of the girl's voice instead of focusing on Kakashi.

"Too late." Kakashi smugly chirped, drawing Naruto's short attention span back into his dire situation and away from the girl he was crushing on. It was indeed, too late. Before Naruto could turn and flee, the assault had already begun. "Leaf Village Secret Jutsu!" the jonin chanted as he fueled chakra into his fingers and arched them up Naruto's backside. "A thousand years of death!" Kakashi dramatically declared.

Pain. Lots and lots of pain was all he felt. It shot straight up his spine; and in fact, Naruto simply shot straight up into the air. The force of the chakra had sent him flying, a howl of pain erupting from him. _It hurts!_ he cried to himself. _It hurts so much! That wasn't even a Ninjutsu! He is just making fun of me now!_

Naruto landed on the ground beneath a tree with a loud thud, whimpering softly as the pain slowly left his body. His gaze locked on the morning sunlight that filtered through the tree's branches and leaves. _To be the Hokage of Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves._ he thought sadly. _That's all I want._

Scoffing, he let out a bitter laugh. People only ever saw him as a nuisance and an idiot. As Naruto lay there, his resentment wash over him like a warm blanket as he closed his eyes. Even if no one else believed in him, he had to believe in himself. And if **that** wasn't enough, even if he couldn't believe in himself, he had to **pretend** that he did. After all, he had given his word.

 _"I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" he cheered as he adjusted his googles in front of the classroom at the Academy. "I'm going to surpass everyone else and become the greatest hokage ever! Believe it!"_

With another short laugh, Kakashi turned to look at him as he sat up. "Is that the best you got?" He snarled and pushed himself to his feet. He was angry. He was angry that no one was there for him, no one believed in him, and that no one cared about him. Most of all, he was angry that they all laughed at him for wanting these things when the hypocrites had it themselves.

He would fight. He would get one of those dumb bells, and he would pass this stupid test. He would become a ninja like no one thought he would. Even if they all hated him... frankly, he hated them too.

His anger re-energized him and with a growl he was once again raced towards the clearing. He would pass this test no matter what – he didn't care what he had to do! Naruto let his rage take over him and he charged at his sensei blindly. He wasn't even aware of what he was doing anymore; his body was moving on its own as attacked in a wild frenzy. Kicking, punching, clawing – hell, he would even bite at Kakashi if given the chance!

Every time he was blocked or countered, it only made him punch and kick that much harder. He hadn't even noticed he had begun to gain ground on the jonin. He was consumed in his fury and rage. His aggression had Kakashi on the defensive. Naruto's advance continued on autopilot until Kakashi got serious and his fighting came to an abrupt end.

With a large splash, Naruto was thrust back into reality. The fight had been so hazy, but now as he began to sinking beneath the rivers surface, he could see again. He could see that sun once more, filtering down towards him like a light piercing through the darkness. His anger began to slowly fade as he floated in the blue abyss. The hate and anger he felt was replaced with pain and sadness.

He just wanted someone to approve of him. He just wanted to be recognized! Was that too much to ask for? Clenching his teeth, he bit down on his lip so hard that red bled into the blue water. His eyes shut tightly and his body tensed, sinking him deeper and deeper until he was touching the bottom. Why was he even bothering to become a ninja? No one would ever respect him...maybe they were right not to?

 _"You're the nine tailed demon fox that destroyed the village." Mizuki's voice sneered, disgust and hatred clear in his tone. His eyes lit up at Naruto's shock and suffering. "No one will ever love you!"_

 _"Oh, it's that awful boy. We don't serve your kind here. Get out!" a store owner spat._

 _"No, don't play with that boy. You stay away from him. He is not right." passing villagers hissed to their children as they glared at Naruto, who was only a child, with disdain and loathing._

 _"We hate you." They all said at one point or another. They didn't always vocalize this idea, but it was clear that they all thought it. Just one look at their hardened glares was enough to see how much they hated him. One look at he was reminded that he was all alone. "We'd be better off without you. Just go die already." their eyes said._

"You keep picking fights with me over a girl who never looks your way! She doesn't even like you! She doesn't love you! What is the point!?" Sasuke roared, the anger clear on his face as he drew back his arm to land another punch.

It is so hard...

Naruto thought, choking on suffering and the water, sending air bubbles rising to the surface around him. The emptiness and the pain it left inside his heart made everything so hard. True loneliness was suffocating; it was just like this. It was just like drowning. The only warmth he ever felt came from anger. It was like fuel on a fire, spreading through him and the darkness in his heart. The anger inside him was the only thing that ever told him _it wasn't his fault. None of it was his fault, it was theirs! They deserved to suffer, too! They deserved to know what it was like to always be hurting inside._ It was like a comforting voice in the back of his mind, that made him feel just a little bit better because it made him feel something other than sorrow.

Another voice in the back of his head echoed through his thoughts. It gave Naruto pause as he looked up at the light. Slowly, the tension in his muscles began to release as he remembered there was one person who cared about him.

 _"He's one of my favorite students." Iruka's warm and gentle voice said in the distance. "He may not be the hardest worker and he is clumsy at times and no one accepts him... but he knows what it is to feel pain inside his heart. He is not the Demon Fox; he is a member of the Hidden Leaf Village!" Iruka defended. "He is Naruto Uzumaki!"_

 **Iruka-sensei...** He was the first person to ever acknowledge him and understand him. To defend him. What Iruka-Sensei had said that night had made his heart race so fast in his chest, it felt like it was going to explode. That night was the only time in his entire life that he had ever felt loved and accepted. It was a feeling he wanted to feel again. It was a feeling better than even his anger.

 _I can't let it end like this_ , Naruto thought as looked towards the surface of the water where the light was shining down on him even in what felt like dark depths. _Iruka-sensei, I promise... I_ _'m not going to let it end like this. I. **Am**. Naruto. Uzumaki. This is not a way of a ninja, not in my book! _ He silently swore to himself and his father figure. _I won't fail here!_

With a new found resolve, Naruto formed a hand sign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He gargled out, creating more bubbles that rose to the surface as more water tried to force itself into his mouth. _I'll make a diversion and attack from the water._ It was the best he could come up with at the moment. There wasn't any other place to take cover in the clearing.

Reaching into his pouch, he pulled out shuriken and sent them flying from the water towards Kakashi. The bastard still hadn't felt the need to look up from his book and easily caught the shuriken between his fingers as he laughed – whether he was laughing at Naruto or the book was uncertain. Either way, it was infuriating.

Running out of air and options, Naruto had to switch to Plan B. Quickly, he swam back to the surface, gasping for air as he crawled out of the water on all fours. He coughed up some water, his throat now scratchy from his prolonged time submerged.

"Are you done, now?" Kakashi asked as he finally glanced down at him from the corner of his eye. It was almost like he was bored and egging him on again. "You know. you won't get lunch unless you have a bell by noon."

Panting, Naruto glared up at his sensei. "I know, I know! You told us already!" he growled in irritation.

"You look pretty weak for somebody that is going to surpass the Hokage." Kakashi noted sarcastically. He was definitely egging him on!

Before Naruto could snap back, his stomach let out a loud growl. He was so hungry. He hadn't eaten breakfast like Kakashi-Sensei had suggested and now; because of that, he was starving! No wonder he wasn't fighting as well! "You told us not to eat breakfast! It is hard to fight on an empty stomach!" He complained shortly before he continued. "But it doesn't matter that I am starving to death 'cause I will keep fighting and I will still get a bell! Believe it!"

Kakashi didn't even spare him a passing glance as he turned around and began to walk away with his nose stuck in his book. Growling, Naruto vowed that when he got his hands on that book, he was going to rip it to shreds! "You call this fighting?" Kakashi asked with a raised eyebrow.

His stomach let out another loud rumble but he chose to ignore it. "I was just a little careless, that's all!" he snapped. The sad truth was that he was already exhausted and he could barely move. However, he would never give up. He would fight to the death on an empty stomach before admitting defeat. One way or another he was getting one of those bells!

"Carelessness can be your worst enemy." Kakashi lectured with his back turned to him.

Naruto glared at his sensei's retreating form as a lopsided smirk spread across his lips. "I'm going to pass this test and I'm not going back to the academy. I **will** become a ninja and I will become the Hokage!" he shouted out as seven clones silently sprung out of the water. Kakashi was going to learn why he should never turn his back on Naruto Uzumaki!

That was when the shadow clones pounced on the jonin. "Haha! You're too cocky sensei!" One of the clones laughed. "That's why you weren't ready for my best jutsu!" It said. Kakashi was startled, dumbfounded even as the clones held tightly to him. "You should never let your enemy get behind you, Kakashi-sensei!" One Naruto jeered and threw back in his face. "Carelessness can be your worst enemy, Kakashi-sensei!" Another taunted him as they began to preach Kakashi's own lectures to him.

"So you can make corporeal clones?" He observed. "Great technique for someone like you." He commented, mistaking the boy clinging to him for the real Naruto. "You talk like you're all that, but you're still the worst student." he said, getting ready to free himself of the clones when the real Naruto clinging to his back smirked and lifted his hand above Kakashi's face tauntingly.

"If I'm the worst student, how'd I get the bell. Huh?" he snickered. The clones disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving the real Naruto jumping up and down in his excitement. "I got a bell! I got a bell! Believe it!" he cheered victoriously. After everything, finally, Kakashi-Sensei was going to acknowledge him, too! One by one, the whole village would come to respect him!

He could even hear Sakura cheering for him from safely among the bushes. Naruto turned towards the noise, giving a big grin and wave as he held up the bell. "Look, Sakura-chan! I did it! I did it!" he boasted, his cheeks blushing slightly as he gave a giddy chuckle. Sakura-chan was acknowledging him, too! This was the best day of his life!

"It was my own fault." Kakashi quietly acknowledged. He had heard the rumors that he could perform real shadow clones, but after meeting him he figured they were nothing more than rumors that Naruto himself may have started. "You're right. I didn't pay much attention to you, thinking you were a complete idiot instead of half of one." He acknowledged. "Better not let this go to your head…" he mused. "Congrats, but may I have that back, now?" Kakashi asked as he held out his hand.

Naruto scowled at Kakashi, displeased by what he had to say. If he was half an idiot than Kakashi was two whole idiots! Begrudgingly, though, he complied and handed Kakashi the bell.

"That was easier than I thought." Kakashi muttered. The words caused confusion to flicker across Naruto's features. "You know Naruto; the test isn't over yet. You haven't passed."

There was a brief, but heavy pause before Naruto exploded. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN!?" he shouted hoarsely.

"Well…" Kakashi drawled. "I said you must have a bell by noon to pass. And-" he gave a jingle of the bell. "You don't have it anymore. You gave it back to me."

Naruto was silent for moment as he tried to process what the man had just said. Was he kidding? He couldn't believe it. "ARE YOU SERIOUS!?" He erupted. "I BEAT YOU! I PASSED YOUR STUPID TEST!" Full of despair and disbelief, his voice cracked. "I HAD A BELL!"

"Had is the key word. A good ninja should always be able to see through deception. And you…" he paused. "Did not. You handed it right back to me." Kakashi gives an exaggerated shrug before tying the bell back to his pants. "Better luck next time." he said, giving a halfhearted wave-goodbye as he began to walk off.

Naruto was frozen in place as he watched Kakashi reached into his pocket and pull out his book again. The man resumed his reading like nothing had ever happened. "You jerk!" Naruto growled as Kakashi continued to walk away, ignoring his outburst. "That was a cruel trick!"

As he passed a tree, the bell had loosened from his belt and fell to the ground with a quiet jingle. The jonin did not seem to notice this and continued to walk away. Eyes wide, Naruto stared at the bell. _Or better luck **this** time!_ He thought excitedly to himself. Too desperate to properly think the situation through, he made a mad dash towards the bell. Just as his fingertips brushed against its smooth surface, his world was turned upside down as a rope secured itself around his ankle.

In a flash, he was yanked upwards towards the tree top. "Damn it." The blond hissed, a scowl forming on his face as he hung from the tree. Below him, he could see that bell on the ground, tantalizingly close. It was taunting him, but yet, it was still so far out of reach. Struggling ferociously, Naruto continued to reach for the bell in vain. His thrashing became more violent as he saw Kakashi leisurely strolling towards the him. The jonin bent down and slowly snatched the bell out of his sight. _That bastard!_

"Think before you act, Naruto." Kakashi sighed, exasperated. "Use your head or else your opponent might use it against you." Naruto groaned in defeat. He was really getting sick of all these lectures. "Oh, and also..." he added as he tossed the bell up in the air to taunt him further. Even still, Naruto tried to grab it before him, but to no avail. "If the bait is obvious, **don't** take it."

Releasing a scream of rage, Naruto twisted and turned in a vain attempt to break free. _I am going to KILL him,_ he snarled. "Let me down! So I can kick your ass!"

"You only have yourself to blame, don't be mad at me. Shinobi must be able to see beneath the surface and through deceptions."

"I. Get. That." Naruto spat out as he struggled. Pausing, Kakashi turned to face him and his eyes narrowed in on the rabid boy.

"I'm telling you this because you obviously **don't** get it." He mockingly emphasized. "You **think** you get it, which isn't the same thing as actually getting it." He leaned in closer and stared the boy down. "Get it?"

Suddenly and seemingly out of nowhere, multiple shuriken were racing towards Kakashi-Sensei. He couldn't even turn around before they made impact with their target, resulting in a sick thump as each found its bloody mark.

"Ahhh, no way! Sasuke, you bastard! You went too far!" Naruto cried out in horror as his Sensei was blasted with shuriken. He just watched his teacher get murdered by his classmate in front of his very eyes!

As the body of his sensei fell sideways, it disappeared in a puff of smoke. When the fog cleared, what remained was a heavily damaged log. _A log?_ Naruto thought questionably. _Oh yeah! A log! A substitution jutsu!_

 _So, Kakashi is okay? That is a relief._ After the failed attack, the leaves on the nearby trees rustled in response. His teammates were fleeing for their lives now that they had given away their position and Kakashi-Sensei was definitely chasing after them. Naruto felt his lips stretch into a wide smile. _Nice try Sasuke._ he thought proudly. _Can't out do me. I still got a bell before you did. Serves you right, teme. Believe it!_ He grinned.

Naruto turned his attention back to his predicament, a scowl returning to his features. "A ninja must be able to see through deception. _"_ he mocked. _Yeah, yeah. How am I supposed to do that?_ He growled. _Damn it! I'm **not** falling for anymore of his traps!_ Reaching upwards with a kunai, he sliced the rope holding him in place and landed softly on the balls of his feet. _That wasn't so bad, after all._ Grinning, he prepared to race away but another rope wrapped itself around his ankle and yanked him skywards once more. "Argh!" Naruto hollered in rage. "I fell for it again!"

* * *

Naruto twisted and turned as he struggled desperately to cut through the rope. This was so annoying! He was just about to give up and wait for someone to come along and help him down when a blood curdling scream filled the air. His eyes widened in horror at the noise. _That was..._ "Sakura!" Naruto cried out, returning to struggle with the rope with renewed vigor. He had to help her!

Relief temporarily flooded through him as the rope finally gave and he fell to the ground once again. It was short lived as concern and desperation quickly took hold of his mind and he went sprinting off towards the scream. He did not make any attempts to hide himself because he was more concerned for the welfare of his teammate.

As a second scream rang through the trees, Naruto narrowed in on the source. It didn't take long for him to find Sakura, laying helplessly on the ground. "Sakura-chan!" he choked out, both in relief and worry as he quickly rushed to her side. "You're okay." he sighed, happy to see she wasn't bloody and gored up. Either way, he was really going to have to destroy Kakashi for this!

He was gently moving Sakura out of the clearing and into the shade of a tree when he heard a voice. At first, he froze, terrified it was Kakashi. "Hey..." it muttered. Sighing, the mysterious voice continued, now sounding very irritated. "Can you help dig me out?"

Naruto quickly recognized the voice as Sasuke's and devilishly smirked. Of course the teme needed **his** help. This was perfect. Turning towards the sound of the voice, he began to taunt "You need my hel–" but his eyes widened in shock as he only saw Sasuke's head sticking out of the ground. "AHHH! SASUKE'S JUST A HEAD!" He shrieked, releasing a scream very similar to Sakura's. He had walked right past the head to get to Sakura-chan and hadn't even noticed the beheaded genin! He couldn't believe Kakashi did this, that man was horrible!

"Shut up, you idiot." Sasuke hissed quietly under his breath. "I'm fine. I just got caught off guard and Kakashi used an Earth Style Jutsu." he muttered, gritting his teeth in rage, while masking his shame with anger. Naruto relaxed slightly, blinking at Sasuke for a moment as he processed everything.

"Oh..." he paused. Then suddenly, he erupted in boisterous laughter. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!" His laughter was clearly making Sasuke angrier and angrier by the second, which only made the situation even more hysterical. He couldn't breathe! His sides and lungs hurt as he hugged his stomach and literally fell onto his back from laughing so hard. He could feel Sasuke's death glare on him as he rolled from side to side, but given the position Sasuke was in, it felt like he was being tickled rather than mentally stabbed.

"What are you laughing at, dobe?" he hissed out loathingly.

"Hey!" Naruto stopped mid-laugh, quickly jumping to his feet to glare down at Sasuke angrily. "Don't call me that, teme! I had a bell! That means I did better than you **and** I'm better than you! Believe it!" He mockingly laughed.

Sasuke glared at him for a moment before he drops his gaze to burn a hole in the ground. "You're right." He murmured, quickly causing Naruto's anger and laughter dissipate.

"...What?" he stuttered, in shock and confusion. Did Sasuke just say what he thinks he just said? Impossible!

"I said you're right. Kakashi underestimated you. Everyone underestimates you and that is how you are able to get the upper hand on them. I'm not going to make that same mistake. I'm not going to underestimate you." Sasuke muttered, his eyes narrowing in on Naruto's shocked expression. "Even if it was Kakashi's fault more than your own skill, you still got a bell. What I am trying to say-" he quickly redirected, "-is that we should work together. I almost had a bell too. I touched it. If we work together, we stand the best chance. We can both pass."

Naruto was stunned as he started at Sasuke, watching him get flustered and angry with embarrassment. _He's... beginning to acknowledge me._ Naruto thought as a huge grin threatened to stretch across his face. His heart skipped with excitement as the same warm feeling he had felt with Iruka-sensei washed over him. He was beginning to be recognized and to earn some respect from Sasuke, of all people!?

"Wait..." Naruto said absentmindedly. Internally he was still cheering over the fact that Sasuke Uchiha, the golden boy, was beginning to pay attention to him! But…he couldn't forget about her. "What about Sakura-chan?"

"Only two of us can pass, Naruto." Sasuke pointed out.

"Yeah but... If we gang up then she will definitely fail!"

"And we will definitely pass. Do you want to go back to the Academy?" Sasuke glared in annoyance.

"No but..."

"But what?" Sasuke hissed, his patience wearing thin. "What's the problem?"

He paused for a moment, deep in thought. "It's not right. None of this." He admitted quietly, his expression saddening. "We are a team, not competitors."

"We are today."

"...Then you'll just have to do it yourself, Sasuke." Naruto said, forcing back the strange feeling of a breaking heart. He was torn... Sasuke was finally beginning to notice him! He wanted to team up with Sasuke and he wanted to continue to prove to Sasuke how wrong he was about him, but he couldn't just alienate Sakura-chan like that. "I got a bell once, so I'm not worried about getting it again! If you're as awesome as you think you are, then you don't need me to get a bell because I sure don't need you." Naruto laughed, though this time it was forced and fake.

 _Sakura-chan..._

Sasuke...

Goodluck to you both.

"Naruto!" Sasuke hissed with malice. "Kakashi isn't going to make the same mistake twice! He isn't going to underestimate you again. We have to work together; it is our only hope!" Rooted to the spot, Naruto could only listen to him as Sasuke continued. "You want to be Hokage – right? How are you going to do that if you're still in the Academy and can't even make genin?" he taunted, hoping to goad him into responding favorably.

Naruto paused, looking down at the ground. This was tough... He didn't say anything, instead, went off in search of Kakashi. Just to prove a point, he even walked right on top of Sasuke's head as he passed. It wasn't as satisfying as it normally would have been, walking on Sasuke like he always walked on him. Not after Sasuke had tried to reach out... Stupid. Why did he have to reject him!? He had to get that damn bell now more than ever. He couldn't let all the work he had put in to get the Uchiha to acknowledge him go to waste!

"Naruto!" Sasuke called out a warning one more time. "You'll regret this." Sasuke lowered his voice and spat out with loathing. "Trust me." He snarled.

* * *

Naruto continued to walk until he was back in the clearing, but this time Kakashi sensei was nowhere to be found. He came to an abrupt halt as he noticed two lunch boxes sitting on top of a stone monument in the distance. His eyes widened in surprise, hope, and hunger. _Food..._ he moaned to himself, feeling like a zombie with only one desire; to eat. His stomach began to growl greedily, reminding him of his starvation.

This was perfect! Instead of wasting time trying to get the bell, he could hide and eat now. Then, with a full belly he will be at his full strength again and taking back that bell would be a breeze. Grinning and chuckling evilly to himself, Naruto hid behind the rock, licking his lips eagerly. "Thank you for the meal, Kakashi-sensei." he snickered under his breath.

Just as Naruto was about to dig in, Kakashi's patronizing tone sounded from behind him. "Hey, little guy." He called. The genin froze, his eyes widening in horror and fear. He was caught red handed! "What do you think you're doing?" his sensei questioned.

"Eh-hehe... It was a joke?" he futilely tried to defend himself, but he knew even his idiot sensei was not going to fall for that lie. He was totally busted... _This isn't going to go well for me,_ Naruto remarked, full of despair. He was so close to getting some food! _Why can't anything ever go as planned!?_

The loud ringing of a bell echoed through the training area, drawing their attention away from each other momentarily. Time was up. Naruto hadn't even realized how much time had gone by and he could not believe it was noon already. "Well, would you look at that." Kakashi hummed, reaching down to grab the back of Naruto's jumpsuit and lifted him into the air.

"Ahh! Kakashi-sensei! I'm sorry!" he frantically apologized and struggled to break free.

"I have a special punishment for you, Naruto." Kakashi grinned devilishly. Naruto whimpered and flailed in vain as the jonin easily dragged him away. By the time Sasuke and Sakura returned to the clearing, he was already tied up to the post with the alarm clock resting on top of it.

By now, the food boxes sat tantalizingly on the ground to either side of him beside Sasuke and Sakura as they sat on the ground between the posts. At least it wasn't just him. Their stomachs were growling fiercely, too. The three of them all looked depressed. They had all failed miserably and they were all going to be sent back to the Academy, not to mention they were all starving! This wasn't fair! "Why am I the only one who tied up!?" Naruto whined. "I was the only one who actually got a bell!"

"And then you lost it. It is the same as if you never had a bell at all. Actually…" he mused, scratching his chin. "It's worse. That is the reason you failed. The reason you are tied up; however, is because you tried to steal food and cheat. I can see why you did it, though. You three do look hungry." He noted. "Don't worry, the test is over now and you don't have to worry about going back to the Academy."

The words Kakashi said were like music to the genin's ears. Naruto and Sakura's eyes lit up with hope. "Does that mean we passed!?" they cried out in unison. Sasuke didn't seem to be as happy about the turn of events. Naruto wasn't that surprised though. He expected the Uchiha to be hard on himself. He thought he was perfect and no doubt expected to get a bell easy. A smug smirk spread on his lips as he looked the brooding boy over. No way did Sasuke expect Naruto get a bell and him not to.

"Not even close." Freezing, the genin all stared at their sensei as they held onto his every word. "It means that the three of you…" he paused as the genin held their breath. "should quit being shinobi."

"WHAT!?" Naruto gasped in shock, beginning to struggle against the ropes. "SO WHAT WE COULDN'T GET THE BELLS, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN!? WHY DO WE HAVE TO QUIT!?"

"Because all of you... are just punks who don't deserve to be ninja's." Kakashi said, his words striking Sasuke's last nerve. Before Sasuke was just glaring at his sensei. Now he was looking at him with murderous intent. Naruto had never seen him as angry as he was now but it didn't matter. Sasuke snarled and lunged forwards, and then suddenly it was over. In a blink of an eye, Sasuke was face down in the dirt with their teacher sitting on him with a foot to the back of his head. Kakashi's grip on Sasuke's wrist tightened, pulling it into a tighter 'chicken wing' to inflict more pain. "See?" Punk."

Naruto's eyes were wide as he watched the scene. His eyes glued to Sasuke's face. "AH! Don't step on him!" Sakura yelled, upset by the humiliation Kakashi was inflicting on her crush. Naruto barely heard her for once, his blue eyes shocked by what they were seeing. Sasuke's eyes seemed wet. He looked like he was in pain but not from Kakashi. _Is he... crying?_ Naruto questioned. Sasuke crying? Yeah right. _Or was he just that angry?_

"Are you guys underestimating how dangerous it is to be a ninja or do you think they will go easy on you just because you're a couple of kids?" Kakashi questioned, his eyes shifting between Naruto and Sakura's bewildered faces. "Why do you think you were separated into teams?"

"Huh? W-What do you mean why?" Sakura stuttered.

"Basically, you guys still don't get the whole reason for this test." He sighed as he looked between the two standing genin.

"There's a reason?" Naruto questioned doubtfully. He thought that their skills were being tested.

"Yes, and it will help you pass this test. Actually, it will be the only way you pass the test." Kakashi added on thoughtfully.

"Are you going to tell us what it is?" Sakura asked anxiously.

"...You guys still can't figure it out? Geez, you're all idiots." Kakashi sighed, exasperated.

"Just tell us already, damn it! How do we pass your stupid test!" Naruto shouted, frustrated with the lack of a straight answer. His anger quickly died down at the one-eyed glare he was given.

"It's teamwork." Kakashi said, watching the shock register on their expressions. "Had the three of you worked together, you might have gotten the bells." Naruto's gaze shifted to Sasuke, a flash of guilt shifting through him. Sasuke had wanted to work together but he said no. If he had worked together with Sasuke, would they have passed? Was Sasuke going to be sent back to the Academy because of him!?

"HEY! Wait a minute!" Sakura began, her face reddening with anger as she yelled at Kakashi. "There are only two bells. Even if we worked together, one of us would have to fail. That would just have made us fight each other. HOW IS THAT TEAMWORK!?"

"Exactly!" Kakashi shot back. "This test is purposefully set up to make you fight amongst yourselves."

"Huh!?" Naruto and Sakura huffed in unison, equally dumbfounded.

"The purpose of the test is to see if you can forget about your own interest and successfully work together under stressful circumstances such as this." he stated, looking down at Sasuke beneath him. "Yet, you guys... are completely dysfunctional. Sakura, instead of helping Naruto who was right next to you, you only ever think of Sasuke, even when he's not in the area. Naruto, you just ran around by yourself and Sasuke, you discard anyone who you think is just going to be in your way. First Naruto and Sakura and after Naruto proved himself to you, then just Sakura." Kakashi lectured.

Sakura was stunned, a guilty look crossing her face as she looked over at Naruto. Sasuke remained silent, glaring up at Kakashi from the corner of his eye as the sensei continued the lecture. "Of course superior ability is important to a ninja but what is more important is teamwork. Your comrades. Circumstances like this can disrupt teamwork and put your team in danger or even get yourself killed." he said, looking around at them for a moment as he watches his words begin to sink in. "For example..." he said as he reached into his pouch to pull out a kunai. Quickly, he pressed the blade to the throat of the boy beneath him. "Sakura! Kill Naruto now or Sasuke dies!" He ordered.

Naruto's eyes widen in horror as he flailed on the post. "WHAT!?" he and Sakura shout in fearful unison. _Oh man, that isn't good! She totally would flay me for Sasuke!_ Naruto thought, the realization depressing him as he remembered what Sasuke had said during their last fight.

"You see?" Kakashi said, brushing himself off as he got off of Sasuke. Sasuke glared at the jonin as he stood up, hatred rolling off of him in waves. Naruto let out a breath of relief, looking over at Sakura as she warily began to relax. That was too close... "If a hostage is taken, you will be faced with tough choices. You are risking your lives by accepting the duty of a shinobi." he says as he walked toward the stone memorial.

Sasuke slowly sat up, watching their teacher closely. "Look at this. The numerous names carved on this stone... These are ninjas recognized as heroes of the village." he said. Naruto's eyes widen as he looks over at the rock. There were so many names!

"Wow, really!? I want my name on there too!" Naruto said excitedly as he looked over the list. "I want to be a hero too! I'm going to be, believe it!" Kakashi was quiet, reaching out a hand to gently touch the stone as if it was made of fragile glass.

"These are not just normal heroes." the jonin quietly stated. Naruto's excitement only grew. Being a ninja was dangerous but what he was learning right now was so cool. Now he really wanted his name on that stone. He was going to be a special hero! He was going to be recognized by everyone!

"Really!? What kind are they?" Naruto asked, but Kakashi didn't answer him at first. He was too busy looking over the list of names himself. "Kakashi-sensei." Naruto whined, trying to get the jonin's attention so he can get an answer.

"These are all heroes who died in duty." he said solemnly before looking away. At first, Naruto was shocked because he honestly didn't know that's what this stone represented. He claimed he wanted to have his name on the stone too… suddenly, the guilt began to eat him alive. He had gotten so excited about wanting to be a hero... _So many names_ , he remembered thinking. So many people who had died fighting for the village. It was so sad... "This is a memorial." Kakashi continued. "My best friend's name is carved here." he whispered.

There was a pause as the three genin sobered themselves up to the harsh reality of being a ninja, a soldier. Naruto swallowed tightly, his gaze shifting to Sakura and Sasuke. He didn't want either of their names to be engraved on that plaque. He couldn't imagine what it must be like to watch someone so close to you die...

"I'll give you guys one more chance. Those who still wish to fight can eat but after lunch I am going to make it even harder to get the bells. For punishment for trying to eat by yourself, no one is allowed to give any to Naruto." Kakashi said, ignoring the whiney complaint Naruto gave. "I make the rules here and what I say goes. If anyone gives him food they will fail immediately. Got it?" he said darkly as he looked between the three genin before he disappeared completely.

Naruto swallowed tightly, caught off guard by the jonin's rule and new demeanor. Kakashi-sensei was kind of scary... "Heh! I'm fine, anyways. I don't need any food" he huffed out defiantly, but his stomach let out a loud and painful grumble that said otherwise. His facade shattered as he slumps against the rope, letting out a low whine. He was so hungry.

"Here." Sasuke muttered with a small sigh. Sakura and Naruto's eyes nearly bugged out of their head as they watched him. Sasuke; however, was looking anywhere else but at them.

"Sasuke!" Sakura hissed in surprise. "Kakashi-sensei just said-" she tried to warn him and stop him.

"Don't worry. I don't sense him anywhere nearby. We need Naruto to get the bells. After lunch we will work together, but without any food, he won't be much help." Sasuke grudgingly admitted. Sakura looked down at her box for a moment before she too offered it to Naruto. "You're right. We all need to be at our full strength. You can have some of mine too, Naruto." she says, bowing her head.

"Eheh. Thanks guys!" Naruto beamed, his face flushing in embarrassment. He was happy because he got to eat but he was also happy because of what Sasuke and Sakura were doing for him. Sasuke... Sakura... They were risking everything to feed him. "But I... my arms are tied." he admitted sheepishly. "Sakura-chan, you will have to feed me." he giggled as she glared back.

"Don't bother, Sakura." Sasuke said as he stood up and turned towards Naruto. He glared at him for a second, clearly unhappy about having to feed him. "I don't like the way it tastes. You eat. He can have mine." he admitted, before turning his glare down towards his food. Naruto stared at Sasuke in shock, his mouth falling open in a large o and his eyes just as wide. W-What!? No! He didn't want Sasuke to feed him! Not after everything that happened, it was too weird! Too awkward! He was completely torn between his hunger and his internal panic of being caught in anymore compromising situations with Sasuke!

Before Sasuke could even scoop one bite into Naruto's open mouth, the field exploded in a mighty cloud of smoke and wind. "AHH!" Naruto and Sakura cried out as they tried to brace themselves against the buffeting blast.

"WHAT IS THIS!?" Kakashi exploded as Sakura and Naruto cowered in fear. Sasuke just darkly glowered at the jonin. YOU. GUYS." Kakashi's voice roared, full of outrage. Naruto decided that Kakashi-sensei was really, really scary! "...Pass." he cheerfully said, his voice now soft and happy. The smoke and wind faded into wisps then nothingness. The three students stared back at their teacher in shock, trying to process what just happened. "Heh." Kakashi smiled amused by their expressions.

"P-Pass?" Sakura stammers. "What, why!?"

"You guys are the first team I've ever passed. Everyone else would just do what I said, like a bunch of morons. They could never see past what was right before them. In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum. That's true, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum." Kakashi said as he looked up at the sky where a flock of birds were flying overhead.

Naruto's eyes were fixated on his sensei. He was so... cool. Listening to him, for the first time he wasn't annoyed to be lectured he was excited. His smile grew as Kakashi gave them a thumbs up. "That ends the training. You all pass. Starting tomorrow, Team 7 will begin its duties."

"Yay! I did it! I'm a ninja, ninja, ninja!" Naruto cheered and shouted. His attention was directed back to Kakashi and his teammates as they begin to walk away leaving him tied there. "Damn it! I knew this would happen! Come back and untie me!" he demanded, beginning to flail once more. "You're ruining my moment!"

 **A/N: Okay guys, so what did you think? I hope you guys liked it. We actually had a lot trouble writing this chapter but it's extra long. Next chapter, there's a lunch scene, random missions and the beginning of the land of waves. I hope ya like it. And did you guys enjoy the Naruto POV?**


	4. Chapter 4: The Land of Waves

**A/N: Hey, guys! It's thing 2 again today. Thank you for staying tuned for another chapter and a big, warm shout out to all those who had reviewed before and came back to review again. It means the world to us to see some familiar faces and feel the love. Without further ado, time to respond to those wonderful views.**

 **guest:** _You are our first commenter for chapter 3 and sadly, you are sort of disappointing. I went ahead and took the liberty to Google something for you - the definition of canon in fiction. Here was the result:_ In fiction, canon is the material accepted as officially **part** of the story in an individual universe of the story. It is often **contrasted with** or **used as the basis** for works of fan fiction. _Just in case it's too complicated for you to understand, I'll break it down for you even further. Canon refers to any part of the official story. It can be used as a basis, in other words, ground work, for fan fiction. Which is what we have said about our story. At_ _ **no**_ _point in time have we ever claimed to be fully canon. It wouldn't be much of a fan fiction if we did now, would it? We have said the story is_ _ **semi-**_ _canon, I have said we follow fairly closely to the original story (meaning plot) for the first chapters, LL has mentioned we are striving to keep them as in character as possible (not that they were 100%) and I have said as the story progresses we will diverge even more from canon. I couldn't care less about the second half of your 'review', but if you are going to berate us, at least get your facts straight so you look like less of a fool._ _ **(LL: Thing 2 is mean tonight. I actually thought it was pretty funny. I just laughed and said now I feel like a real fanfic author – we had our first flame. Anon went ALL out though haha)**_

(Sorry for everyone else who had to read that.~ A little _awkward_ in here now, no? Lol. None the less, I, as the charitable and amazing person I am **-sarcasm-** find the need to educate the wayward souls who cross my path. **-innocent smile-** Moving on!) **LL: She's such a loser –rolls eyes- lol.**  
 _  
_ **Guest:** _Thanks. :) I can sort of see NaruSasu because Naruto is pretty aggressive and emotional at times, but all in all I agree. Sasuke is just too prideful to let someone else be top. Lol._

 **T. K. Virgo:** _Aw, shucks. You're too sweet. You are pretty amazing too!_

 **Tee:** _I couldn't agree more. I think Naruto hasn't really thought about what being Hokage really means. To him, I think it is more of a means to an end. The Hokage is the most respected member of the village and all Naruto seeks after all is a little adoration. I'm glad Sasuke gave him some of that gratification... if only so he could get out of the ground and have a better chance of getting the bell himself._

* * *

 **Chapter 4: The Land of Waves**

 **Sasuke POV**

"Wait! What about me!?" Naruto screeched in dismay as his team walked away. Kakashi had ordered Sakura to untie him and quickly she complied to that order, leaving Sasuke alone with jonin. His eyes shifted to their teacher as he took in his form until the shinning, jingling bells strapped to his waist drew Sasuke's attention away from the man. He glared at them ruefully, reminded of his failure. He was too caught up in his unpleasant thoughts to even notice that Sakura and Naruto had returned to the party.

"I'm hungry!" Naruto whined as they made their way back into town. The very sound of his voice just irritated Sasuke. He was the top of the class and Naruto was the very bottom, that was the entire reason they were stuck on the same team together. Their teachers wanted to 'make it fair' for the other teams, even if it wasn't fair to him. How did Naruto Uzumaki, the class clown and the town idiot get a bell when he could not? After a moment of thought, Sasuke's glare shifted to the blond.

 _You know why_ , Sasuke's inner voice tried to comfort him. He was the class clown and town idiot. That was it. Kakashi wouldn't even look his way when fighting Naruto. He read a book instead. That just goes to show how little he thought of the blond. Naruto's success had nothing to do with his own skill, it was just Kakashi's own carelessness. Even knowing that, Sasuke was still fuming.

Was he jealous? Kakashi had to think more of him than Naruto – and that was obvious because at least he put the book away when he faced off the Uchiha. Regardless, he failed to impress Kakashi-Sensei while Naruto had done exactly that. Not to mention, Naruto had refused to team up with him... _Tch. Irritating._ Sasuke scoffed internally and forced his glare to the road that lay ahead, trying to ignore their chatter.

"Come on then, let's get some lunch. My treat." Kakashi offered. "As a celebration."

"Alright!" Naruto cried out in joy.

"But Sensei, what about the food you brought us?" Sakura asked in confusion.

Scratching his head, Kakashi let out a sheepish laugh as he admitted a very important fact about the state of the food. "Oh, you don't want to eat those. I had them in my fridge for the longest time... I'm pretty sure they are way passed their expiration date." Sakura seemed to turn slightly green at the revelation. Sasuke on the other hand felt relieved. He knew there was a reason the food tasted off. "And besides." He added. "I didn't bring enough for everyone. So where do you guys wanna go?"

"Ichiraku Ramen!" Naruto cheered enthusiastically. _No surprise there,_ Sasuke thought as he remembered their time 'getting to know each other' on the rooftop. _Naruto's likes: Ramen. Hobbies: Eating ramen. Dislikes: Waiting for ramen._

"What do you guys say?" Kakashi asked. Sasuke shrugged, indifferent about what they ate as long as it tasted good. He hadn't eaten much lately and the ramen shop wasn't bad from what he remembered.

"Sounds good to me!" Sakura smiled after making sure he was okay with it. Naruto let out a loud whoop of joy before running off. He was thrilled to be going to Ichiraku, especially because he was not paying for it.

They all sat down and ordered, the food arriving infront of them quickly. It was definitely a mistake on Kakashi's part, seeing how much the blond boy could eat. Naruto seemed to be able to put away bowl after bowl of ramen with no end in sight. _Who could eat more ramen_ , Sasuke wondered, _Naruto or Choji?_

"Slow down, Naruto. You're going to make yourself sick." Sakura murmured, watching as Naruto cleaned his sixth bowl of ramen with a sort of morbid fascination.

"I can't! I'm sooo hungry!" Naruto moaned at the delicious taste of the food. "And the ramen is so good!"

"Ha ha ha. Don't worry about him, he's fine." the chef assured Sakura before going into a whole explanation of how Naruto is his best customer and vividly described one time where Naruto had nearly cleaned out their entire store. "Did you have a tough first day as a ninja?"

"Nah, not too bad. It was a breeze to snatch one of those bells from Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto boasted, shooting Kakashi a large grin. but the jonin was far too busy reading to pay him any attention.

His bragging was getting annoying, so Sasuke tuned their mindless chatter out. _A breeze_ , his mind echoed as he retraced the day's events in his mind. It was a breeze for Kakashi, maybe. Looking back on the fight, it is clear that Kakashi had been holding back and playing with them even though they were ordered to attack with the intent to kill.

 _I wonder how strong he really is…_ Sasuke mused. Then there was the question of what Naruto was truly capable. His childish and immature behavior aside, Naruto had proven that when it comes to physical combat he is not to be underestimated. _He used so much chakra today on an empty stomach and he wasn't tired. He's STILL not tired._ Sasuke thought wearily as he eyed the hyperactive blond who was currently shoveling more food into his mouth.

Naruto's face flashed through Sasuke's mind as he thought about all of this. The face he saw was not the normal and happy one his teammate usually wore, it was dark and bloodthirsty. There was a moment during that fight after Naruto had been thrown into the ground that he actually looked like he was going in for the kill. Sasuke saw something darkness in Naruto's eyes that he felt in his heart and saw in his own.

Looking away from his barely touched bowl of ramen, Saskue's gaze shifted to the orange-clad boy sitting on his right. Naruto was happily chatting to Sakura and the ramen shop guy, completely unaware of the Uchiha's studying gaze. He was smiling, laughing, and acting as obnoxious as always but the memory of _that_ Naruto radiated in his mind.

 _Hate._ That's what the feeling was, what Naruto had been feeling at that moment in time. Sasuke had seen it clear as day and could hear it in his angry grunts and growls. It was so shocking and intense he could almost feel it. How could someone who acted so happy and cheerful all the time have hate in their heart? What did _Naruto_ know of hate? If he had indeed felt true hatred. then there had to be much more to him than meets the eye. What did Naruto truly feel and what was he really like? _And if this is all just a façade then…_ Sasuke mused as his gaze narrowed in on the blond. _Was all of this nothing more than an act, hiding a much darker Naruto?_

"Welp. I'm stuffed." Kakashi groaned as he happily pat his stomach and stood. "Thank you for the meal, it was great." Kakashi praised the shop owners, before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Sasuke's eyes were reluctantly ripped away from Naruto to watch the fog dissipate.

"Thank you for the mea-" Sakura began to call after the jonin before gasping and jumping to her feet. "Kakashi sense! You forgot to pay the bill!" She yelled out in vain. The silver hair ninja was long gone.

"WHAT!?" Naruto croaked, full of panic. There was no way he or any of his teammates could afford to pay for his appetite. Even if they all pooled their resources together, it would still be too little. "Kakashi! Kakashi sensei!" Naruto hollered as he dashed out of the shop. Not looking where he was going Naruto almost collided with their old teacher.

"Woah, slow down there Naruto. What's the rush?" Iruka questioned disapprovingly as they straighten out.

"Iruka sensei!" Naruto cried out in relief. "You have to help us! Kakashi sensei said he would pay for us since we passed his stupid bell test but then he just left! I don't have any money!" Naruto wailed.

"You passed? That's great!" Iruka laughed, giving Naruto a pat on the shoulder. "I'm so proud of you, Naruto. You have come a long way." Iruka praised. Glancing over at the ramen shop he could see Sasuke and Sakura watching them from the gaps in the curtains. With a heavy sigh of defeat, he gave a small nod. "Alright, alright. I'll cover your tab this time just to congratulate you for being a full-fledged ninja. Just this once." He added giving Naruto a stern look.

"Alright! You're the best Iruka-sensei!" Naruto cheered, quickly returning to Sakura's side with a proud grin. "Did you hear that? Iruka sensei is going to pay for it!"

"Thank you so much, Iruka-sensei!" Sakura stuttered formally as she gave a small bow. Iruka laughed lightly and waved it off.

"No worries. I'm happy to help. Congratulations on passing, Sakura. You too, Sasuke." Iruka said as he takes the empty seat Kakashi left. His attention turning the counter where he now takes notice of the stack of bowls. Shock and despair flickered across his features as he looked at Naruto. "...These aren't all yours, are they?" he asked hesitantly.

"Heh, yeah..." Naruto grined sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. "I guess I went a little over board, but Ichiraku's ramen is just so good!" he attempted to defend himself. Iruka let out an exasperated sigh, pulling out his wallet and looking at it for a moment with a scowl.

"I guess there is no helping it." Iruka murmured as he begrudgingly handed over the money, leaving him with a near empty pouch. "A ninja needs a good, healthy diet to keep them strong and energized. On missions you might not be so lucky, so you have to be sure to eat when you can." Iruka said more to himself as he tried to lighten the expensive blow.

Sasuke watched the interactions in silence, having given nothing more than a gruff 'thanks' at Iruka's kindness. Kindness... and love. He had thought Naruto was alone like he was, but from the looks of it, he wasn't. It left a surprisingly bitter taste in his mouth and a heavy feeling in his heart. Sasuke's mind replayed what Sakura had said about Naruto, how he acted like a fool because he was all alone. He had defended Naruto, defended Naruto's suffering because he had believed it was a pain they both shared.

Was it?

Without a word, Sasuke stood and tried to make a quick and quiet exit. Even with Naruto separating them, Sakura still noticed. "Sasuke-kun, where are you going? You didn't even finish your ramen!" She called after him, saddened by his sudden departure.

"I'm leaving." Sasuke said simply, not even bothering to spare her a passing glance as he headed back to the place he could no longer call home. For some reason, he felt his anger, his hate, his loneliness weigh down on him tonight more than it usually does.

"Oh, okay..." Sakura frowned after him.

"You two should probably head home, too. You have your first mission tomorrow. You need plenty of rest." Iruka smiles.

"My parents are going to be so excited when I tell them I passed." Sakura squealed softly as she hopped off the stool. "Goodnight, Iruka-sensei!" She says, running off to her home. "Goodnight, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura giggled as she ran pass him.

"What about me!?" Naruto cried out after her. Sakura stopped, hesitating before she slowly turned back around to look at Naruto. His eyes widened in surprise that she wasn't just ignoring him like usual.

"...You did good today, Naruto. Goodnight." she said, blushing slightly before she quickly turned and ran off. Sasuke paused in his steps, watching her leave before his gaze shifted over his shoulder at the ramen shop where Iruka was laughing at Naruto and Sakura's behavior. He stood there, watching for a moment, not paying attention to what Naruto was yelling about. He was probably just being overly excited that Sakura gave him a small comment of acknowledgement. From the bits and pieces he heard, Naruto was bragging about his 'awesome fighting abilities' again and how he made everyone acknowledge him.

Sasuke was too lost in his own head to pay attention to any of that. He was lost in thought and... longing. They looked like a father and son. Their interaction was the same as any parent he passed on the street with their rambunctious child.

Sasuke didn't have that sort of his relationship with his father, not from what he could remember. He wasn't sure if he ever even saw his father smile let alone laugh. He was a very serious man, after all being head of the Uchiha Clan puts weight on anyone's shoulders. Like his own.

He was all that was left in that empty house. His clan which was once the strongest, most respected and feared of the entire village was now little more than a memory. Sasuke forced his gaze away from the happy moment in the ramen shop and continued to walk away once more.

 _Pathetic._ He internally hissed at himself. _Standing around feeling sorry for yourself like this. It will change nothing. You couldn't even get one bell from Kakashi, how are you supposed to get revenge?_ He berated himself. _I have to do better than this. I have to restore honor to my Clan. No matter what it takes, I will make you pay._

 _Itachi._

* * *

 _This is so stupid,_ Sasuke criticized as he quickly and quietly ducked behind a tree trunk. He peered around the corner, his onyx eyes narrowing on their target. _I can't believe we are wasting our time on this 'mission'._

"What's the distance to the target?" Kakashi's voice quietly sounded through his earpiece.

Sasuke sighed heavily as he reached up to the radio collar around his neck to turn on his intercom. "Five meters. I'm ready at any time." he murmured, switching it off as he returns his focus to the mission.

"So am I." Sakura said, followed by Naruto.

"Me too!"

"Okay. Go!" Kakashi's orders come in and the three dart around the trees, lunging for their target. Naruto nearly tackled the poor thing, clinging to it tightly as it struggled violently to break free.

"Got'cha—AH! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" he whines as the creature's claws rake down his face. Sakura sighed, exasperated that Naruto was losing the fight and immediately tries to help calm the 'beast'. Most likely so they didn't have to catch it again and less out of concern for Naruto.

"Naruto, turn off your intercom. You are yelling into the speaker and I can't hear Kakashi." Sasuke muttered in annoyance. It was like Naruto was screaming in his ear. It was loud, annoying, and headache inducing.

"Naruto, you idiot!" Sakura chastised him in Sasuke's defense.

"Is there a ribbon on the left ear? Are you sure the target is Tora?" Kakashi repeated his question from a location further away.

"Yeah. We're sure." Sasuke muttered back, looking over his shoulder at his two teammates as they struggled to contain Tora and not get shredded in the process by his flailing claws. _They are both idiots..._ Sasuke thought, his focus wandering as he stared at the crimson beads left in the wake of the talons.

"Good. Lost pet 'Tora' search mission: Complete." Kakashi said cheerfully. "How about we get something to eat after this to celebrate, my treat?" he offered. Sasuke glared at the jonin with a scowl forming on his face. Last time, that didn't work out well for them but he was so hungry it was almost worth the risk.

"No way!" Sakura and Naruto screech in unison, pausing in their fight with the furry creature and earning Naruto more scratches along his cheeks.

* * *

The fluffy brown cat yowled in pain and protest as his owner pressed her face against his. Team 7 was hired by the wife of the Fire Country's Lord to rescue her poor cat. The woman seemed... strange, but no one said anything as they watched the poor feline fight for his freedom. It really wasn't hard to see why it ran away in the first place after being smothered like that.

"Oh, my cute little Tora! I was so worried." The woman cooed as she squeezed the damn cat to death.

"Hehe." Naruto snickered, failing to smother his laughter as he grinned at the cat who had caused him so much pain. The team watched as the woman dumped a large coin purse of money on the Homage's desk before walking out, their attention turning back to their leader.

"Now Team 7, your next assignment is... Hm, what shall I assign you? Babysitting an elder's grandson, shopping in a neighboring village, or helping with potato digging?" He read off of one of the many pieces of paper on his desk. _These are not missions; they are a waste of my time._

"No, no, no! No, thank you!" Naruto exploded as he shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "I want to do, ya know, a real mission! Find a better one for us!" he demanded stubbornly. _I agree... but you can't just go making demands like that to the Hokage, Naruto._

"YOU IDIOT!" Iruka exploded. "You are just a rookie! Everyone starts off with these simple duties and work their way up." Iruka sensei reminded him, struggling to contain his own outrage at Naruto's blatant disrespect.

"But why!? We keep getting the crappiest duties possible!" Naruto shot back. They may not be related, but in a lot of ways Naruto seemed to take after Iruka. "Ow!" Naruto whined after Kakashi had punched the top of his head.

"Be quiet, you." Kakashi muttered, equally displeased with Naruto's outburst. From the glare Sakura was giving him, she wasn't happy either.

"Naruto, do I have to explain everything to you?" The Hokage sighed. "Every day, the village receives a plethora of requests from babysitting..." he paused. "To assassinations. Each mission is given a rank: A, B, C, or D based on their difficulty level. They are then added to the list. The ninja who take on these missions are also ranked. I'm the strongest ninja, then come the jonins, chunins, and finally the genins. If the assignment is completed successfully, we receive payment from the client." he explained. "You guys just became genin. D rank missions are perfect for yo- Hey! Are you even listening!?" the Hokage exclaimed after he noticed that Naruto had turned away and was muttering about what he should have for lunch.

"I... I apologize for his behavior sir." Kakashi said nervously as he scratched the back of his head. What an awkward position Naruto had put him in. Would he be punished for Naruto's behavior since Naruto was now his responsibility?

"Geez, all you do is lecture." Naruto grumbled in annoyance. "But you know what? I'm not the trouble making brat you still think I am!"

Kakashi glanced down at Naruto and released a small sigh. Sasuke watched in silent as the scene unraveled and Sakura seemed somewhat apprehensive because they could be punished for Naruto's immature and inappropriate behavior.

He wondered if Naruto had a point. Had he changed from what he used to be like? He still seemed to be the same usuratonkachi for the most part but... He did change in some ways. He wasn't as annoying as he used to be. He didn't run around pranking people or picking fights anymore. He had grown up a little bit to say the least.

Out of the corner of his eye Sasuke could see the Hokage and Iruka's small smiles pull at the corner of their lips. They seemed to agree with his assessment then.

"Okay." The Hokage agreed. "I'll give you a better mission."

"Huh?" Naruto was dumbfounded, he didn't actually expect the Hokage to comply to his demand. It was somewhat annoying that Naruto was as surprised as the rest of them. If he didn't think it would work, why risk getting them in trouble in the first place? Then again, he shouldn't be complaining. If it got him out of the potato fields and closer to the battle field, he'll take it.

"If you want it that much, I'll give you a C rank mission." The Hokage said as he laced his fingers together in front of his face. "It's an escort mission."

"Yay!" Naruto cheered. That sounded much more exciting. "WHO!? WHO!? Is it a feudal lord!? A princess!?" he shouted his questions eagerly. His enthusiasm was unmatched.

"Calm down. I was about to introduce him. You can come in now." He called over to a side room. Sasuke's own anticipation died down as the door opened to reveal a drunk stumbling in.

"What's this? A bunch of stupid brats..." The man huffed, obviously not impressed with his protection detail. "Especially... the short one with the stupid looking face. Hey, are you really a ninja?" He asked with a short laugh as he leaned against the doorway.

 _Who are they supposed to protect him from - himself?_ Sasuke scoffed. They weren't babysitting a grandson, no, instead they were just babysitting a deadbeat old man? "Hahaha." Naruto laughed, looking between Sakura and Sasuke. "Who's the short one with the stupid looking face?" he asked, only pausing as the truth dawned on him.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" he roared, lunging for the old man only to be held back by Kakashi.

"What is the point in killing the person we are supposed to protect, you idiot?" Kakashi asked as he kept a firm grip on the genin's jumpsuit to keep him from breaking free. "Think, Naruto. Think. You have a brain for a reason." The jonin scolded. The corner of Sasuke's lips turned up in a small smirk of amusement as he watched the blond struggle. His attention was drawn back to the drunk as he began to speak again.

"I am a bridge builder and my name is Tazuna. I expect you to be able to protect me as we travel to my homeland as well as when I work to complete the bridge." he stated before taking another swig from the bottle he had in hand. Sasuke had a feeling that this guy... was going to be a handful. So was Naruto if the man kept provoking him like that. _Tch._

* * *

Team 7 and their charge headed to the front gates that afternoon. Everyone had gone home to quickly grab their gear. Sasuke packed everything he thought he could possibly need. Every ninja knew to be prepared for the unexpected. It was Academy level training to always have a bag ready to go just in case you had a mission outside of the Leaf. After he grabbed his stuff, he walked back to the meeting place which was the entrance to the village.

"Alright! Let's GO!" Naruto shouted, eager to start the mission.

"What are you so excited about?" Sakura scowled. "This is a mission, Naruto. Be serious for once." she reminded him with a patronizing tone.

"Because I've never been out of the village before!" Naruto beamed, his head whipping around as if he was going to see something he had never seen.

"We're still at the village, calm down." Sasuke muttered. It was too early in their journey for Naruto to be pulling any antics.

"That's why we got to get moving!" Naruto scowled back at him. _Impatient idiot._

"Are you sure I'm really going to be safe with this brat?" Tazuna questioned doubtfully. Kakashi gave a halfhearted laugh.

"Well... I am a jonin. Don't worry." he assured their client. _Way to go Naruto, you are already making us look bad._

"Hey, shut up old man! Don't mess with us ninjas! I'm incredible, believe it!" Naruto predictably lashed back. "One day I will become the strongest ninja in the hidden leaf! My name is Naruto Uzumaki and I will become Hokage! Remember it!"

"Heh. Hokage? I doubt someone like you could become Hokage..." The man laughed bitterly as he took another swig of his now almost empty bottle.

"SHUT UP!" Naruto screamed, completely enraged. "I'll do whatever it takes to become Hokage! Once I become Hokage, everyone will acknowledge me. You will too!" Naruto hissed.

"That's right!" A new, squeaker voice proclaimed, drawing the groups attention from Naruto to a young boy standing behind them. "Big Brother Naruto is my rival! Only one of us will become Hokage!" He crossed his arms over his chest defiantly. Upon further inspection, Sasuke spied a pair of familiar goggles resting upon the young boy's head. _Big Brother?_

"Konohamaru?" Naruto inquired, his head tilting to the side as his short attention span momentarily forget about the berating old man. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to tell you.." he paused, thinking over his words as he looks down at the ground sheepishly. After a moment, he looked up and began shouting as well. His yelling failed to cover up the blush of embarrassment on his face. "You better come back in one piece so I can fight you! You are my rival to becoming Hokage! No one can beat you but me, you got that!?"

Naruto blinked at him for a moment, before a wolfish grin pulled at the corners of his lips. "Yeah, I got it." he was beaming as he turned away from Konohamaru and made his way down the road. "I'll see you when I get back! Wish me luck!" Naruto called over his shoulder at him, the party slowly following after. Sasuke took one last look of the children as they waved, before he too slowly turned and walked away, his hands shoved to the bottom of his pockets.

That was a strange interaction... A father figure and a little brother to brush off. Naruto wasn't as alone as he originally believed. This fact only made his own loneliness grow. Before, it was as if...

"You and that other twerp, you really think you are going to become Hokage?" The man questioned in between sips. It seemed the man had pulled a second bottle of whiskey from his bag.

"Yes!" Naruto cheered. "Believe it!"

"...No." the client deadpanned. "Even if you become Hokage, I'll never respect you." the man grunted, glaring at Naruto judgingly from the corner of his eye.

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks, the shock registering in him as the old man and Kakashi passed him by. _That must have been a hard blow. I thought Naruto wanted to be the Hokage because he wanted people to like to him since he was alone. If he wasn't alone, why did he care so much about what others thought of him?_

"I HATE YOU!" Naruto growled as he once again lunged for the old man.

"Calm down, Naruto." Kakashi sighed, holding back Naruto with a firm grip on his orange jumpsuit. It was kind of pathetic to see an old man teasing a child like that. It was even more pathetic that Naruto let him. He was a ninja now, he should at least try to control himself.

Sighing, Sasuke tore his eyes from the idiots. He stood by what he said earlier. It really was going to be a long trip with these two.

* * *

Sakura broke the silence by quietly asking "Uhm, Tazuna-kun?"

"What?" he grunted.

"You're from the Land of Waves, right?"

"What about it?" he questioned, his eyes narrowed in on her suspiciously.

"Well, it's just..." she turned her attention to the jonin. "Kakashi-sensei? Don't they have ninjas in that country too?" she inquired.

"No, not in the Wave Country." Kakashi said, looking over at her he answered her question. "In most other countries, they do. The cultures and customs may be different, but hidden villages exist and so do ninjas. The largest and most powerful countries are the leaf, mist, cloud, sand, and stone. It is only in these countries that the leader receives the title of 'Kage'. It is the five Kage's that reign over the thousands of ninja in the world. A small island country like the Wave doesn't have much influence on other countries so probably don't really need any shinobi."

 _Being a Kage seems more like a desk job than a ninja rank... That old man couldn't really be that impressive nowadays, could he?_ "You guys don't believe in the Hokage's strength, do you?" Kakashi hummed disapprovingly causing the three of them to stiffen in surprise. The jonin's eagle eye narrowed in on Sakura's frown of concern. "Don't worry about other ninja's. This is just a C rank mission. There won't be any ninja combat." Kakashi reassured her.

"Then we won't come into contact with any foreign ninjas?" Sakura asked, twitching slightly as Kakashi messed with her hair.

"Of course not!" He laughed. Sasuke was disappointed to hear that, looking away from the two as he continued to follow Naruto. His attention focusing on the old man who had paused mid-sip and slowly lowered his bottle and head as if in shame.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed on him for a moment before he continued as if he didn't notice. Something was definitely up about that man which meant something may be wrong with this mission. What should he do? How should he proceed? Should he inform Kakashi of his suspicions?

Just as the thoughts raced through his mind, the sound of chains drew his attention back behind him. "What!?" Kakashi's startled voice sounds, causing them to whirl around in shock and surprise to see their sensei bound by two foreign ninja.

 _You've got to be joking! The mission just started!_ Sasuke thought, his eyes shifting to the old man, glaring at him slightly. _Damn it! What didn't that bastard tell us?_

The chains around Kakashi tightened as the two ninja pulled away until it seemed as if Kakashi exploded into bits and pieces. "KAKASHI!" Naruto and Sakura screamed in horror. This wasn't good. These were enemy ninja and they were just a couple of genin! Kakashi was their only real hope. His teammates were absolutely useless.

In a flash, the enemy continued their assault, quickly moving behind Naruto who had frozen in fear. _Tch. All that talk and he is just going to freeze up like that?_ Sasuke's jaw clenched, springing into the air. Naruto was going to get himself killed. _The damn_ _usuratonkachi._ _Move!_ He silently growled as he reached into his pouch and pulled out a shuriken.

Seeing that the two ninja were connected by a chain linked tot he devices on their arms, Sasuke decided to attack there, knocking the two birds with one stone. With a quick swing of his arm, he sent the shuriken flying towards the chain. The ninja tool picked up the slack between the two and pulled the chain backwards towards the treeline. _If those things encircle Naruto, he will share the same fate as Kakashi,_ Sasuke thought as he threw a kunai at the center of his shuriken, the indention and points acting as a prison for the chain, effectively pinning the chain to one of the trees, wile the kunai held them both firmly in place.

Naruto let out a gasp as the two were momentarily paralyzed as well, stuck to the tree by the kunai. The counter had caught them off guard, especially when Sasuke landed on their shoulders. _I'm not going to let that happen._ Wasting no time, the genin lent foreward and grabbed ahold of their arms before he quickly delivered hard backwards kicks directly to the side of their faces.

The chain gave a loud creak as it snapped, the force of the kick knocking the two back and freeing them from the now broken chained chain. Released from the tree, the enemy shinobi bolted. One dived for Naruto again as he other rushed passed towards Tazuna.

"Sir! Get back!" Sakura shouted as she shoved Tazuna behind her, blocking the man with her own body as her hands shook. She trembled as she held onto the kunai and tears of fear pooled in her eyes. It was surprising... He had not expected Sakura to be so brave. Sakura's and the client's safety outweighed Naruto's. Again, Sasuke's body lurched forward, skidding in front of Sakura to take the blow in her place but the attack never came.

Instead, Kakashi seemed to materialize before him, holding down the attacking ninja with a chokehold. Thankfully, the other enemy ninja who had appeared to go after Naruto was tucked under his other arm. _Bah, what a show off... Why did he go through the fuss of letting anyone think he was dead? It would made things so much easier if he had just taken them out and skipped the theatrics._

"Naruto... sorry for not helping you right away. I didn't think you wouldn't be able to move." Kakashi murmured as he looked over at the shaky genin was slowly picking himself up off the ground. The fear and shock etched into his features seemed so unnatural on his face. What had gotten into him? "Anyways, nice job Sasuke. You too, Sakura." Kakashi praised, though Sasuke barely heard him, he was too busy glaring angrily at Naruto.

He noticed Naruto was staring back at him, as if staring at him would reveal some secret. He wasn't just acting like dead last, no, now he was acting like dead weight. It was annoying. "Hey..." he called, smirking slightly as he looked Naruto over. He knew this was going to piss him off and he wanted to do just that. Maybe then Naruto would put his money where his mouth was. "You alright, scardy cat?" he drawled.

Naruto's face instantly twisted in rage and embarrassment, his cheeks flushing from the adrenaline and humiliation. Before he could spit out a reply, Kakashi cut in. "Naruto, save it for later. Their claws are soaked in poison. We have to act quickly and open the wound to release the toxins in your body before it spreads, so don't move too much. As for you Mr. Tazuna... I need to talk to you." Kakashi said, his voice dropping to an almost predatory tone as eyed the now jittery man.

"W-What is it?" he asked feigning innocence, but Kakashi ignored him. They had the enemy ninja to deal with and tie up. After they were secured, the interrogation began.

"These guys..." Kakashi started, inspecting them for a moment before he continues. "Are Chunin class ninja from the Village Hidden in Mist. They are ninja's known to keep fighting, no matter what."

"How did you know?" One of them questioned.

"On a sunny day like this when it hasn't rained for days?" Kakashi asked. "A water puddle shouldn't exist." he said simply with a small shrug. _A puddle?_ Sasuke thought, thinking back to when he had seen one. He hadn't thought anything of it.

"Why did you let the brats fight when you knew that?" Tazuna questioned, seeming annoyed at Kakashi's lack of action.

"If I had wanted to, I could have killed these two instantly." he murmured, his intent and somewhat dark gaze slowly returned to Tazuna. "I waited so I could find out who their intended target was..."

"What do you mean?" Tazuna questioned nervously.

"Meaning... if they were after one of us or if they were after you. We were supposed to protect you from thieves and gangs, we were not told there were shinobi after you." Kakashi accused, his gaze hardening. _So there was something wrong with this mission. I knew I was right._ "This was supposed to be simple protection detail until you completed the bridge and it now has become at least a B-rank mission."

Tazuna said nothing, instead he just bowed his head in guilt. There was no way to deny the evidence when two enemy chunin were sitting a few feet away.

Kakashi continued "If it was known that ninjas were after you, this would have been an expensive B-rank mission. I am sure you have your reasons but as you can see, it causes problems when you lie about the mission details. We are now operating outside of our duties."

"W-We aren't ready for this mission." Sakura stuttered breathlessly as she quivered in fear. "Let's quit. We will need medicine for Naruto's wounds, too. Let's go back to the village and get him a doctor." she suggested, eager to be rid of the danger. _Tch. Naruto freezes up and she wants to run away. Pathetic.  
_  
"Hmm... You're right. You guys might not be able to handle this." Kakashi mused to himself as he took a moment to decide what to do. "I guess we should return to the village and have Naruto's wounds treated." Naruto on the other hand, was fuming. He clenched his teeth and fists together in anger. Most likely he was furious at himself for his failure.

Without warning, Naruto whipped out a kunai and plunged it straight to the back of his swelling hand. Blood instantly came rushing out. Shock was all Sasuke could feel as he watched. Now he was the one frozen in his place, unable to move or even breathe.

"NARUTO! What are you doing!?" Sakura screeched.

"With this kunai..." he grunted out through anger and pain. "I'll protect the old man. We are continuing this mission." he growled with a sense of finality. As Naruto looked up, he had the same expression from the fight the other day. It was wild and dangerous and bloody...

 _No,_ he wasn't bloody back then but he was bloody now. _Blood._ Sasuke's thoughts became confused as they seemed to fade out like dull voices in the background. A sense of sickness washed over him. **_Blood._** He couldn't stop staring at it even though it made his head dizzy and vision blur. That singular thought the only thing on his mind.

"Naruto... it is good that you are releasing the poison but," Kakashi paused, leaning forward to smile down at his pupil. "Any more and you will die from loss of blood." he stated cheerfully. "Like, seriously."

"THAT'S NOT GOOD!" He screeched. "I can't die from something like this!"

"Let me see your hand." Kakashi said as he kneeled down to treat the boy. Thankfully, Kakashi blocked Sasuke's view of Naruto giving him a moment to try to regain his composure. He felt like he wanted to throw up. _What was that all about?_ Sasuke thought in disbelief. He was getting sick over a little blood. _How pathetic._ He had seen far more blood than that splayed on his living room floor. _Get over it, Sasuke,_ he ordered himself. _Get a hold of yourself._

"Naruto, are you a masochist or something?" Sakura berated him as Kakashi inspected Naruto's wound. "What were you thinking?"

"Hey, sensei..." Naruto asked hesitantly. "Am I going to be, you know, okay?"

"You should be fine." Kakashi assured him, looking over his shoulder at Tazuna. "You, on the other hand are not."

"So then, it's time for that talk?" the old man huffed.

* * *

 **LL: Well I hope you guys liked the chapter. I didn't. We had a rough week. Anon wrote out half the chapter just to have it deleted. And rewriting it was NOT fun. It was rough and it was choppy. I worked a bunch of night shifts and I'm running on like zero sleep -bangs head on keyboard- I'm sorry if the chapter wasn't as good as it normally is, this is so a onetime thing. As always, read and review. Thanks, love you guys. And thanks for being understanding. Bai!**


	5. Chapter 5: A Dangerous Mission

**'Ello, it's Lauren this week. So I have some FUN announcements. Anon and I have decided to post an EXTRA chapter every 10 chapters or every 50 reviews, favorites, or follows. This is chapter 5, so you have to wait 5 more chapters until your little bonus. And we have 18 reviews, 14 favs, and 18 follows. Which one of those is going to hit the magic number first? Oh, this is so exciting! 3 But yeah, this was actually thing 2's idea. It just goes to show how much we love you guys and appreciate you reading this. It really is in your best interest to review – so do it! (cue the just do it video)**

 **And now onto the responses!**

 **Tee:** _Lol Tee, you are not as confused as you think you are. You're thinking exactly what we want you to think. He's feeling a bit of both things. I mean he wants to…No spoilers sorry. Anon is forcing me to be quiet :D_ _ **Anon: I can confirm though that currently, Sasuke is both attracted to and repulsed by said attraction to blood.**_

 **T.K. Virgo:** _Thanks girl, it's so nice that ya care. 3 And I'm really glad you liked the chapter._ _  
_  
**Guest** : _Thank you. As you can see we are slowly building up to the vampireness. We will be seeing more of it as the story progresses. I am so glad to hear you like our approach to our story. One of the things we wanted most was to make our ideas cohesive with the Naruto universe we all know and love._

 ** _KakaDolphin:_** _Oh don't you worry, they'll eventually come to terms with their feelings –wiggly eyebrows- And rewriting the kiss scene was so fun! I totally agree with you, I love seeing how different authors handle it. And I'm glad you like it so far. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR NOTICING THOSE TYPOS. I will definitely fix it!_

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

 **A Dangerous Mission  
Sasuke's POV**

"Not here." Kakashi said as he stared at Naruto for a moment before drawing his eyes back to Tazuna and nodding. "We will take you to the Land of Waves. Then, we will decide what to do from there." He decided, looking back at the enemy ninja they had tied up. He moved away from Naruto, who was looking at his now bandaged hand quite fearfully. Sasuke tried to ignore the blond, his eyes following Kakashi closely. It was probably best to avoid looking at Naruto until his head stopped spinning. It was now that he was only just able to catch his breath again.

Kakashi crouched down on eye level with the captives as he studied them. After a pause, a big, friendly smile pulled on his features. "Now, we are going to leave you here. I'm sure you will be able to get out just fine, but I'm not really worried about you guys coming after us... because you know that if you do, I can and will kill you without hesitation. Right?" he prompted them cheerfully. He was met with silence. Giving a small nod and standing up he said "Good. Come on guys, let's get going." Apparently, no response was good enough for him.

Sasuke hesitated, watching the two shinobi for minute longer. His heart was still pumping with adrenaline, his head was still dizzy, and his stomach was still clenched in tight knots. Fear and excitement of their first encounter with enemy ninja? Was that what had come over him all of the sudden? Surely that was more plausible than him getting a bit queasy at the sight of blood.

Eventually, Sasuke turned and quickly caught up with the others. He wasn't sure about Kakashi's decision to leave them alive. "Why did you do that back there?" he asked, keeping his eyes on the road ahead to feign disinterest. Honestly, he was curious and not to mention somewhat concerned.

"Do what?" Kakashi asked, playing stupid. Sasuke cast a glare at him from the corner of his eye. He knew that the jonin knew what he was talking about.

"Let them live."

"Yeah." Naruto agreed, his tone alone enough to rub Sasuke the wrong way. He was furious at Naruto for his behavior. Letting himself freeze up like that... It was inexcusable. Even Sakura acted like more of a ninja than the loud mouth. "What if they come after us, again?"

"Then we will take care of them." Kakashi murmured, looking over his shoulder at them for a moment before he looked ahead of him. His hand reaching into his pocket to pull out- **that** book. Sasuke glared at it, feeling his brow twitch with annoyance. He couldn't believe he brought that filth with them on missions? Even if he was a jonin and this was _supposed_ to be just a C rank mission, it was highly unprofessional. "It is my job to teach you three not just how to be a shinobi, but how to be honorable ones. Good ninja are not just killing machines. Those ninja, though our enemies, are people just like you and me. Good ninja know when to show mercy and when have compassion, just as they know when to have none."

"But Kakashi..." Sakura began to argue. "They didn't show any mercy or compassion for us." she pointed out. "They really would have killed us!"

"Yes, they would have if I was not here. Even when facing an enemy or no morals, we must not lose our own. We are shinobi. We represent the Village Hidden in the Leaves. We must carry ourselves with respect or else we are no better than mercenaries." he preached, opening up his book as he began to read. "Besides, I'm here. They aren't a threat."

"Maybe they aren't," Sasuke agreed, his eyes narrowing on Kakashi. "But when they report back to their boss, they are going to send stronger ninja." She said, not agreeing with Kakashi. She didn't believe in his too forgiving mentality.

"Which would have happened regardless. If they don't return, they will be assumed dead and reinforcements will be sent." Kakashi back fired, his focus unwavering. Sasuke clicked his tongue in agitation as he looked away. That was true enough, but they were still enemies of the Leaf. Letting them live just meant they will be a problem to be faced in the future, possibly by less capable ninja. They should have been stopped permanently. The only reason why Kakashi didn't kill them was because of Naruto, Sakura, and himself. He was babying them, sheltering them from the harsh realities of being a ninja. He didn't need to be coddled like an infant as they did.

The rest of their journey South to the Land of Waves was met with relative silence. Occasionally someone would make a comment or ask a question, but there was a hushed sense of unease that hung over everyone's head- except for Kakashi, apparently. He just had a jolly smile on his face as he stuck his nose into that book.

 _Something good came out of that attack._ Sasuke thought. It was a wake-up call for all of the genin and even for Tazuna, who may very well be regretting his choice in neglecting to tell them the details of their mission. Unlike what he had feared, it was a mostly quiet and headache free trip. Naruto was brooding silently to himself ever since his deplorable failure and Sakura was just too nervous to speak much, _thank god.  
_

* * *

"When will the boat get here?" Kakashi asked as they made themselves at home in a small boating shack of a quaint little peer. Getting to the little island nation meant they obviously needed passage across the water.

"A few hours before dawn." Tazuna said as he sat down in a corner and pulled out his last bottle of alcohol. Sasuke sighed softly, not particularly happy about having to wait around like sitting ducks for another attack. Though, the enemy knew where they were headed. They couldn't just hide and go somewhere else. He knew it was only a matter of time before another group of ninja came to challenge them and they would definitely be stronger. What would happen then? Naruto had already proved that he was useless. Sakura was slightly less useless but aside from being a human shield she offered no support in actually fending off the enemy. She was just as useless as he was in the end. He managed to catch the Chunin off guard, but if he couldn't even take the bells from Kakashi... what chance did he stand in a real fight?

"We'll stay here for the night, then." Kakashi ordered as he tossed his bag onto the ground and laid down, completely relaxed. His lax daisy attitude was concerning and annoying. Did he not realize or did he just not care that the fate of the mission and their lives were on his shoulders alone? Deep inside, Sasuke knew their sensei was aware and did care, but that didn't change how his behavior said otherwise.

"I'll keep look out." Sasuke muttered as he turned around and walked right out the backdoor. He wanted to be alone, to have time to himself so he can think and clear his head. He was just about to close the door behind him when he heard Tazuna speak up.

"You really going to trust that brat to keep watch?" the old drunk scoffed. Sasuke's grip on the handle tightened as he paused, listening. _That bastard._ He growled. He was much more productive in that battle than that lying fool was. They were risking their lives to save his, the least he could do was show an inkling of respect.

"It'll be fine, get some sleep. I have a clone keeping watch from a distance." Kakashi assured the client. So Kakashi didn't trust them? He didn't trust him? Sasuke closed the door behind him with a soft hiss under his breath. He normally wouldn't have cared this much. He **didn't** care, yet for some reason he still was angry.

He had always bottled up anger but recently, he had begun to lose control of himself. Why? He wasn't sure. Perhaps, it was because he had become a full-fledged ninja. It was almost as if he had been waiting for his entire life, waiting for his one true mission to begin and finally he could see himself on the path to get there.

"Yo, Sasuke." Naruto's voice called from behind him, his loud voice piercing the silence. The Uchiha blinked in surprise as he looked over his shoulder at him, not even realizing how much time had passed. Instantly, guilt and self-loathing boiled inside him. _Damn it._ he cursed himself. He hadn't even been paying attention to their surroundings. Kakashi was right to have a clone nearby, the man was right to doubt him. He was being as careless as Naruto. Is this what it was like inside Naruto's head all the time? Thoughtless and incoherent?

"What is it, useless?" Sasuke muttered as he turned and walked away from the building and the blond. He was heading to the small peer and memories of the lake in Konaha flashed through his mind. He would often sit on the dock, where his father had taken him to practice the clan's Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu. He often spent his days just sitting there, even after his clan's massacre.

"HEY! Don't call me that!" Naruto growled angrily, his teeth grinding together. He was embarrassed and ashamed of his behavior, as he should be. A ninja afraid of combat with another ninja was not a ninja at all.

"Keep your voice down." Sasuke glared over his shoulder at him. "Do you want to draw unwanted attention to where we are camping?" he asked not waiting for an answer. Naruto was reminded of the danger they were in and looked around anxiously as if to check if his loudness had alerted any enemies of their location. Seeing no signs of any threats, he proceeded to stomp after Sasuke.

Naruto's blue orbs glared holes into the genin's back as Sasuke took a seat on the end of the peer. The feeling of those eyes on his back as his feet dangled above the water was something Sasuke had felt for as long as he could remember. Naruto was always behind him, watching him. Now that he thought about it, he wasn't sure how he felt about that fact.

"If anyone does come at us again, then I'll be ready for them." Naruto promised, his fists clenching with determination. "I won't freeze up like that again, Sasuke. Believe it."

"It doesn't work like that." Sasuke murmured emotionlessly, his expression one of disinterest as he stared out across the endless water. He had never seen the ocean before. None of his teammates except for their sensei had.

"What doesn't?"

"Belief. Telling me to believe that you're not going to be dead weight again doesn't mean you won't be." Sasuke said bluntly. "Nor does it make me actually believe in you." He had expected Naruto to erupt in an outburst and demand his respect but instead there was only silence. Eventually, his curiosity won and he looked over his shoulder back at Uzumaki.

Naruto was in his own world, his gaze melting the wooden boards beneath his feet. He was shaking from whatever emotions he was feeling, most likely anger. His jaw was clenched tight as he dug his nails so deep into his own palms he began to pierce through his layers of skin.

"Believe me." he managed to grit out. His words caught Sasuke off guard as he stared at him for a moment, confused.

"Why?"

"Because I said so!" Naruto snapped, his gaze finally shifting from the ground to Sasuke. _How childish_ , Sasuke thought. "I never go back on my word. When I say I'm going to do something, I do it. That is my ninja way! Believe it, believe me! I swore..." Naruto paused, lifting his left hand to inspect the bandages. "I swore on the pain that I felt and on the blood that I spilt, that I am not going to be saved ever again. I swore that I am not going to run away from my fears."

"Is that what stabbing yourself was about? Trying to prove a point?" Sasuke asked incredulously with a raised brow. He knew Naruto was brash and irrational but even that was a bit much even for him, wasn't it? He didn't need to go to those lengths to make a promise to himself like that.

"That's right!" Naruto said almost as if proud of himself, completely misunderstanding the tone in Sasuke's voice. "There was always such a difference between us." he admitted, his tone soft and full of disappointment. "I was always behind you. Even though I completed missions and practiced jutsu every single day. I should have been just as strong as you!" Naruto hissed with frustration. He paused, letting his wounded fist tighten once more. A glimmer of determination danced behind Naruto's eyes as he spoke "I will get stronger. I swore I would not lose to you, Sasuke Uchiha and you better believe it!"

Their eyes were locked for a moment of silence as they gauged what the other had said and how they reacted. _Lose to me? So, this is a competition to him? Go figure, but why is he always challenging_ _ **me**_ _to his stupid games?_

Sasuke quickly turned his head away when he felt the corners of his lips begin to twitch upwards into the smallest of smiles. _He really is an idiot_ , he smirked to himself as he stood up. It was such a Naruto thing to do, turning this into a competition. One that he already was losing.

Sasuke shoved his hands into his pockets and with one last look out at the ocean, he turned and walked back to the boat the house. He closed his eyes as he did so he wouldn't spare Naruto with even a single passing glance as he walked by. If that is how Naruto wanted to see things, then so be it. As long as it helped and he got his act together, he could play along. "Try not to fall asleep while on guard duty, you dobe." Sasuke said simply, having no further comment as he made his way inside. The familiar feeling of those sky blue eyes watching him stayed until the very second he closed the door behind him.

* * *

Sasuke had barely gotten a wink of sleep before Tazuna's contact arrived by a miniature boat. It had an engine on the back, but for some reason he was using paddles instead. Probably to keep quiet and avoid detection, since he had to know more about the situation than they did.

It was tempting to sleep during the boat ride, the gently sway of the boat was almost like a mother rocking her babe to sleep. Not to mention he was exhausted and hungry. He wouldn't be the only one to give in to that temptation, though. They were on a mission. Everyone was getting tired and hungry from their journey. Especially since Kakashi had them avoid any of the towns they had planned to restock their supplies at.

"I can't see anything," Sakura complained as she peered ahead from the bow of their canoe. "The mist is too think."

"You should be able to see the bridge, soon. The Wave country isn't far from there." The man said quietly. How he could keep track of where they were in weather like this was surprising. Sure enough, soon a dark shadow loomed over them through the fog. The bridge was massive! Far bigger than any bridge he had ever seen before and quiet possible the biggest bridge there was. It was going to bequeath something when it is finished.

"WOW! It's huge!" Naruto gasped in surprise, shocked and amazed by the size.

"Hey! Be quiet!" hissed the rower. "Why do you think we aren't using the engine and waited until the fog was at its' thickest? We will be in big trouble if Gatou finds us, so keep it down." he muttered under his breath, now more jittery and eager to be done with this than before.

Naruto quickly slapped his hands over his mouth, embarrassed by his slip up. It did prove one thing; that they were hiding and that the one they are hiding from was this Gatou. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but it wasn't vivid enough of a memory to recall why or where he had heard it before. Perhaps he was a famous ninja?

No one spoke for almost the rest of the ride, not wanting to compromise the stealth operation any further. "Tazuna." The boat driver said as he looked over his shoulder at the other man. They were approaching the giant wall that surrounded the city and protected it from tsunami's. There was a small archway in the side, a sort of tunnel for passage in and out of the country. "We're lucky. It looks like we were able to avoid detection so far. Just in case, take the uncommon route. It has more vegetation and will help hide you from enemies."

"Right." Tazuna nodded in agreement. "Thanks. I know this was a big risk for you to take."

"If you can get that bridge built, it will be well worth it." The man said as they exited the tunnel on the other side. As the sun rose, the mist had evaporated. By the time they reached inside the wall, the Land of Waves, it was a clear and sunny morning. It was a beautiful sight. A trees were sprouting out of the water, houses built on stills hat just seemed to float on the water. It was like nothing any of them had seen before.

"WOW!" Naruto breathed with excitement and awe. His blue eyes were sparkling like the salty water below him. He quickly crawled to the front of the boat, gripping its edges tightly as he leaned forward, as if that would help him get a closer look and take in the scenery any better.

"This is it for me," boatman said once they reached the docks. "Goodbye and good luck."

"You too. Get home safety." Tazuna called back as the man now used the engine to drive away. They watched him leave for a split second before they turned to each other. "Kakashi..." Tazuna's gruff voice quickly sounded. "I want to talk to you about this mission. You're right, this is probably outside of your duties. Now you know that a very dangerous man is after my life..."

"A dangerous man... You mean that Gatou guy?" Sakura asked, her voice sounding tight with fear.

"You've probably at least heard his name before." their client huffed, bowing his head in recognition to his predicament. "He is a very wealthy shipping magnate."

"Gatou? As in Gatou Company? Yeah, I've heard of him. He is said to be one of the richest men in the world." Kakashi said with a small nod. This wasn't particularly good news. Wealthy, influential people were not the type of people you want as enemies. He had power and resources, while Tazuna had just three genin and a baby sitter. This was not good news.

"Yes, that's him. Publically, he runs a large shipping company. Secretly, however, he is a drug lord who sells a variety of contraband. He is the worst kind of man. He hires rogue ninja and gangs to do his dirty work for him, taking over business and entire countries like our own. It was almost a year ago he sets his eyes on the Wave. Through money and violence he quickly took control of our shipping industry. He has a complete monopoly of all business traffic in our entire, tiny country. The only thing that he has to fear, that threatens his power over us, is the completion of the bridge."

"I see." Sakura mused out loud to herself. Her facial features were inquisitive as she cupped her chin in thought. "Since you're building the bridge, you're in the way."

"So those ninja that attacked us before, Gatou hired them?" Sasuke asked.

"What I don't understand is; if you knew ninjas were going to be after you, why did you hide that information when you hired us?" Kakashi questioned.

It didn't make sense. His life and the future of their country could be at stake. Not to mention they would be up against mercenary ninja hired by Gatou when they themselves were just rookies. He needed better protection than they could provide!

"The Wave country is poor. It is something that once kept us safe from the politics of bigger nations. We were under the radar, an insignificant island nation of peace." he whispered, his fists clenching in anger. "Even our feudal lord has no money. Of course we don't have money either, especially for an expensive B-rank mission."

So that is what all the secrecy was about. Money. How such a thing could dictate so much was beyond Sasuke's comprehension. He never cared for wealth. There was a silence among the group as they walked and thought. A silence that made Tazuna nervous, after all, without them he would be a complete sitting duck.

"Well, I suppose you guys are deciding whether to continue with this mission or not. It's fine, I completely understand if you do. Of course if you do then I will definitely be killed and my cute ten-year-old grandson will cry and cry. My daughter will probably just curse the Hidden Leaf forever and see you as nothing but cowards who let her father die, but it wouldn't be your fault that you abandoned me and threw me to the wolves of an evil, tyrannical scumbag." Tazuna said with a forced laugh.

Sasuke felt his brow twitching in annoyance as he listened to the drunk try to guilt trip them and turn the situation around on them, should it not go his way. _Asshole._ "Well, I guess we have no choice then. We will protect you at least until you get back home, then." Kakashis shrugged, trying to play off the man's obvious attempt at backing them into a corner.

With that decided, their journey continued. Kakashi seemed almost sullen as they did. No doubt dreading that they were continuing this mission. A mission that depended almost solely on him. Personally, Sasuke wasn't sure how to feel about it. He didn't know if he wanted to continue or not. They were operating outside their mission level, which was concerning, but things like this happen. Unexpected turn of events are a part of missions and he wanted the danger. He wanted to get stronger.

It wasn't long before Naruto's 'competition' with him, had the idiot doing something foolish again. He had been ignoring the blonde's stares for awhile, too caught up in his own thoughts. He was too hungry and too tired to truly care.

With no warning, Naruto ran ahead and frantically began looking around for any signs of 'danger'. Even finding none, he stilled threw a shuriken into the bushes. "There!" He shouted, catching everyone off guard and putting everyone on high alert. There was **no** way though he actually sensed something they did. That Kakashi didn't.

There was silence, no movement detected. No sounds of pain or signs of a fleeing ninja. Nothing. "Heh. Must have been a mouse." Naruto said as he straightened himself out and ran his fingers through his bangs. Was that his attempt at playing cool? _Playing anything_ , this wasn't a game!

"KNOCK IT OFF, NARUTO!" Sakura roared at him, her fists clenched tightly in anger. He had really scared her just then. "THERE WAS NOTHING THERE!"

"Hey, Naruto. Can you please not throw shuriken around blindly like that... They are dangerous." Kakashi stammered nervously, almost disheartened by Naruto's carelessness and malpractice.

"MIDGET!" Tazuna roared, even more angry than Sakura. He was probably more scared than she was, after all, the target was on his back. "Stop acting like a moron! What, are you trying to scare me, huh!?"

"A shadow!" Naruto proclaimed, ignoring their attempts to reign him in. It was why Sasuke remained silent, not even bothering. Naruto was trying to prove a point, to prove that he wasn't useless. He knew from many experiences that there was no stopping him now. "There!" Naruto threw another shrunken into the bushes, earning a punch to the back of his head from a furious Sakura.

"I SAID STOP!"

"Owww!" Naruto whined, rubbing the back of his head but calming down none the less. "Sakura-chan... Somebody is after us, I swear!" Naruto pleaded for her to... 'believe it'.

"Yeah, right. Stop being such an attention seeker, Naruto." she chastised him, but Sasuke's attention was focused on Kakashi who had, for whatever reason, decided to explore the bushes that Naruto had attacked. He kept a close eye as Kakashi parted the branches to reveal a white rabbit, slumped up against the tree trunk in shock and fear. There was a small cut on the top of its head from where the shrunken had grazed it. Poor creature looked petrified.

Sakura gasped at the sight, her eyes widening in horror, almost as wide as Naruto's. "Naruto! What have you done!?" she exclaimed as Naruto ran towards the rabbit and pulled it to his chest. His cheek pressing up against the rabbits head as he was overcome with guilt.

"I'm sorry Mr. Bunny." he apologized and comforted the little critter. _Is he serious?_ Sasuke thought while snorting as he turned the other way. Strangely enough, it never crossed his mind that Naruto would be an animal lover. He never gave animals much thought himself and he didn't think Naruto did either. It wasn't like either of them had any pets. Ninja and pets don't normally go hand in hand unless you are like Inuzuka clan. Kiba and his dog Akamaru were inseparable.

"Everyone, get down!" Kakashi's suddenly shouted. Naruto's attention shifted from the rabbit to his sensei in confusion. Even the animal followed instructions better than Naruto, for it quickly jumped out of the adoring boy's arms and ran into the safety of the bushes while Naruto just stood there like an idiot. Even Sakura was slow to react. _Idiots_ , Sasuke mentally hissed.

"Huh? What is —Ah!" Naruto shouted before Sasuke pushed Sakura towards him. The two toppled to the ground while the force of the shove sent Sasuke falling in the opposite direction. He redirected the energy and tackled the old man to the ground. At least he had an excuse for being so slow to react. He wasn't a ninja. He was a drunk. Naruto and Sakura; however, should be ashamed of themselves.

A flash of black whizzed past them, coming to a stop as it lodged itself deep into the trunk of a tree. Looking up at it, Sasuke could see it was a massive sword, and standing on it like a perch was an equally large man. His back was to them, only partially looking over his shoulder at them. He clearly was not threatened by the group and he didn't seem to have any reason to be. Sasuke's eyes widened in shock and horror. This was **definitely** not another Chunin. He radiated power and his presence was commanding. How could he not sense him before now? Was Naruto actually able to feel his presence before or was this just coincidence?

This man... he made him feel…slightly afraid. Not that Sasuke would admit it. He was more apprehensive than anything.

The sound of Naruto's battle cry forced his attention away from the stranger. His eyes widened in shock as Naruto began to charge straight forward in the same way he did when he first challenged Kakashi. _Did the idiot never learn!? Could he not see what they were up against?_ Sasuke hissed internally. _It was the usuratonkachi, what else did he expect?_ Sasuke scoffed. He froze in battle with two regular ninja and now up against someone like he finally finds his courage? He was being true to his word, but this was far out of the league. The man before them, he reeked of death.

Luckily, Kakashi's hand snapped in front of Naruto and stopped the overzealous idiot in his tracks. "Get back. Everybody." Kakashi said lowly, his usual monotone and bored sounding voice now filled with the seriousness of their life and death. "He is no ordinary ninja. His name is Zabuza Momochi, better known as the Demon of the Mist. He is in a whole other league compared to the ninja you saw before. You will just be in the way." he bluntly remarked. "Even for me, this might be a little tough." he added, his hand slowly moving to his head band to unclip it from his mask and remove it from his eye.

Under any other circumstances, finally seeing part of what was beneath Kakashi's mask would be somewhat exciting. A mystery solved, but at that moment in time, no one cared about what Kakahsi's face looked like. Their eyes were glued on the man who had begun to give a low, dark chuckle. The sound sent chills up their spines.

"You know who I am? I suppose that is fair, I know who you are too. Sharingan Kakashi Hatake." Zabuza grinned, Kakashi's respected title intriguing him. A title that echoed through Sasuke's mind. **_Sharingan_** _Kakashi_!? Immediately, he tore his onyx gaze away from their adversary to his sensei, where they widened even more. His left eye had been revealed, but it was not the scar that ran down his face that shocked him. It was the red of his iris. There was no mistake about it.

"Surround Tazuna." Kakashi ordered, ignoring Sasuke's confused and questioning gaze. "Your job is to protect him and to stay out of this fight." Numbly, the students obeyed and staggered into a triangle formation around Tazuna, their backs to the client as they used their bodies as a barrier between him and the threat.

"The Sharingan... I get to see it, already? I'm honored." He chuckled. "Do you really intend to fight me, knowing who I am? That man is as good as mine." Zabuza boasted, slowly turning around to face Kakashi and look him over. "Though, maybe you can put up a good fight. When I was an assassin for the Hidden Mist, I kept a handbook full of information on enemy ninja. You were in there, the man who copied over 1000 jutsu. The fabled Copy Ninja."

"Stay alert." Kakashi's voice murmured softly, his body tensing as Zabuza crouched down. The enemy shinobi's calloused hand gripped the hilt of his massive blade tightly. They were both readying for the fight, one preparing for an attack the other preparing to attack.

"Let's end all this talking. It's time for me to kill." The genin and their client tensed with anxiety, Tazuna shoke fearfully behind them. He didn't feel the least bit comforted by his human shields. With that being said, Zabuza did not attack like they thought he would. Instead, he kicked off from the tree, yanked his sword free, and landed on the surface of a nearby pond.

The sound of Naruto swallowing nervously sounded beside him before his shaky voice quietly spoke up. He was nervous about the fight. His question made that clear. "Hey, guys..." he began hesitantly, making sure to keep his voice low for once so not to attract any attention. "What is a Sharingan?" he asked. So, he wanted to know about Kakashi's odds of winning the fight?

After a fleeting glance towards his teammate, Sasuke's eyes focused solely on Kakashi's back. He wondered that, too. "Sharingan... is a type of visual jutsu, an eye technique called a dojutsu."

"So that is why his eye looks like that!" Naruto proclaimed, slightly louder than he meant to be in his excitement at being able to follow along even though Sasuke was spelling it out for him. None the less, Sasuke gave a stiff nod as confirmation. "It's a type of jutsu... What's it do?"

"It is said that the Sharingan can defeat all other types of jutsu. It gives its user the ability to read and break apart their enemy's movements. That's not all it does, though..." he paused, swallowing tightly as he tried to push back the memories of his childhood. That eye. It was just like **his** were eyes that night. "The reason he is called the Copy Ninja, is because the Sharingan gives you the ability to copy any technique it sees."

"Wow..." Naruto whispered in awe, his gaze locked on Kakashi for a moment before he noticed that Zabuza seemed to disappear into thin air. _Ninpou, Hidden Mist Jutsu._ The rogue had made a hand sign and released a large amount of chakra before his disappearing, taking a more stealthy approach than someone as flashy as he appeared to be was expected to take. "Ah! Where did he go!?" Naruto panicked.

"He was a member of the Hidden Mist. They are known for their silent killing techniques. The victims don't even know that they are dying before they are dead. Stay on your guard." Kakashi cautioned them. Their panic beginning to rise as the fog grew thicker. Then a sign of Zabuza's overwhelming presence as his voice echoed around the clearing.

"Eight choices." the voice laughed. The sound of his menacing laughter made chills run down Sasuke's spine. He glared towards the sound of the voice in response. "Liver. Lung. Spine. Clavicle vein. Jugular vein. Brain. Kidneys. Heart. Which one should I go after? In which way are you going to die?" he cackled maliciously through the mist.

 _This is... unbelievable_. He had never felt something like this before. The air was so thick with bloodlust, they were choking on it. The intentions of two jonin, ready and willing and wanting to kill. To kill or be killed. A true battle of survival of the fittest. Sasuke's heart raced so quickly in his chest, he couldn't even feel it beating. He could only feel the pain the fear caused and it froze him solid. _This is what it was really like to be a ninja, this is what it was like to come face to face with death._ The intensity of both Kakashi and Zabuza was enough to drive anyone crazy. The feeling of their fragile life dangling in a chaotic storm. It almost made him wish for a quick death than to endure this tension.  
 _  
_"Sasuke." Kakashi's steady and knowing voice broke through the quiet of his panic. "Calm down. Your job is to protect Tazuna. My job is to protect you. That is our teamwork. I won't let anything happen to my comrades, even if it kills me." he vowed as he looked over his shoulder at them to give a warm smile.

"We'll see about that!" Zabuza's voice sounded from- behind them! Though Kakashi's words had been comforting, vanquishing his shock and fear. Over their shoulders the genin looked, to see that Zabuza standing between them and their client, instead of the other way around. He broke through their formation like it was nothing!

Immediately, the genin dove away from the threat behind them, just as Zabuza began to swing his behemoth of a sword. Kakashi cleared the distance between them in an instant, and was there to stop its movement and give the four vital time to escape. Kakashi's left hand gripped onto the handle of the weapon tightly but in his right hand he held a weapon of his own. A simple kunai, which he had plunged directly into Zabuza's stomach.

Before relief could wash over him, Sasuke's eyes were locked on the wound. He was not leaking blood but... water? "Kakashi! Behind you!" Naruto shouted from his place on the ground as the real Zabuza lunged towards their sensei. It was a clone? Was all that just a diversion to leave Kakashi open for another attack!? _A ninja must always be able to see through deception..._ His words echoed through his mind.

The sword seemed to swing in slow motion as it sliced through the air. Kakashi barely had the time to look over his shoulder before he was cut in half. It was like slicing butter for the strong ninja and sharp blade. Sakura's scream echoed throughout the clearing, joined by the sound of cascading water as the Kakashi before them turned into a puddle, just as like Zabuza had done before hand.

Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise. This was incredible. It was like watching the worlds' most dangerous chess game. Each ninja was trying to lure the other into a trap while also trying to avoid falling into one. Kakashi had copied his Water Clone Jutsu and let his clone fall into a trap in order to bring out the real Zabuza. It was almost too much to keep up with.

Now behind Zabuza, was Kakashi, held a kunai pressed against the rogue ninja's throat. "Don't move." Kakashi ordered. Zabuza froze in shock. "It's over." Relief washed over Naruto and Sakura as they began to cheer but Sasuke could not bring himself to celebrate just yet. Two ninja like this... There was no way this was check mate.

Zabuza's menacing chuckle once again filled the air, far from threatened by the kunai at his throat. "You think it is over? You think you can defeat me with your half-baked, monkey-like imitations!?" he paused to let out another laugh. "It was a good plan. Hiding and watching from the shadows as your clone comforted the little twerps to keep my attention. I'm impressed you were able to copy me through this fog, however..."

Once again, from behind Kakashi, there stood Zabuza. "It's not good enough." Kakashi jerked the kunai against the throat of the Zabuza in front of him, but instead of blood it simply turned to water. He had another clone!? _Damn it, I knew it!_ Sasuke thought as he ground his teeth together.

Kakashi barely had time to duck before the blade flew over his head. The tip lodged itself deep in the ground, but that did not faze the rogue ninja even for a second. He used the momentum of the swinging blade to power a strong kick, which he delivered straight to the side of Kakashi's rib cage and sent him flying.

Not a second later, Zabuza was charging after Kakashi's sailing body. The rogue easily pulled his sword free from the earth. To wield a weapon like that with such ease was incredible. Kakashi looked like he was in real trouble when suddenly his attacker came to an abrupt stop. His beady eyes glared at the ground which had been littered with tiny spikes.

It was enough to stop him from running forward, but as Kakashi fell into the water, Zabuza grinned victoriously. It was not enough to save their sensei completely. "Foolish." he chuckled and jumped over the spikes and back onto the water's surface where Kakashi was trying to pull himself free of the thick and heavy liquid. "Water Style; Water Prison Jutsu!" Zabuza barked as the water began to twist and consume Kakashi in a sphere of liquid and chakra. _Shit! This isn't good. Without Kakashi, we're deadmen walking._ "Trying to escape through the water was a big mistake, Kakashi. Now you are trapped and I don't think you will be getting out any time soon. It is harder to escape when you can't move, isn't it?" He laughed victoriously. "What was it you said, you were going to protect them? Now…" he paused grinning, using his free hand that wasn't holding the prison sphere and keeping it in place to form a hand sign. "You are going to watch them die! Water Clone Jutsu!" he bellowed.

The three genin watched in horror as the clone began to stalk his way towards them. "You know," he drawled as he straightened himself. "Wearing those head bands, pretending to be ninja, it makes me laugh." he chuckled venomously, before he seemingly evaporated into the fog. Just like that, he was gone, nowhere to be seen. Not until Naruto was suddenly sent flying from a strong kick. His body skidded across the ground, before slowly coming to a stop. Zabuza paused in his attack, toying with them as he stomped on the headband that had been knocked free from Naruto's head.

"Naruto!" Sakura called out after him in concern. Zabuza's dark chuckle was freezing the very blood in their veins.

"When your names go down in my little black book, then you might be a ninja." He laughed as he smooshed the headband deeper into the dirt. "You are not a ninja, you are nothing but brats with swollen egos and kunai." Naruto began to scramble backwards from the enemy ninja, his face contorted in fear.

Then suddenly, he stopped. His body flinched in pain from when he put too much pressure on his sore hand. Sobriety crossed over his features as the pain reminded Naruto of his oath. _I am not going to be saved ever again. That I am not going to run away from fears._ That is what Naruto swore. _I never go back on my word. When I say I'm going to do something, I do it. That is my ninja way! Believe it, believe me!_

Sasuke's eyes widened in shock and horror as Naruto charged for him Zabuza. "He..." _He can't be serious,_ Sasuke stuttered, but the memory of what the blond had told him just the night before was still fresh in his mind. _No! Naruto! You idiot!_ He wanted to tell him to stop, but the words were caught in his throat.

"Naruto!? What are you doing!?" Sakura screeched, gasping in horror and covered her mouth with her hands as skidded into a limp ball in front of them. "We are GENIN, Naruto! You can't take him by yourself! We can't take him at all!" She cried out hysterically, her eyes brimming with tears of anger and fear. She stopped crying when she realized Naruto was still alive and uninjured. On the ground he was covered in dirt and small scratches, but otherwise unhurt. In his hand, he clutched his headband tightly. _That is what he was after?_

As Naruto stood, a smirk pulled on the corner of his lips. "Hey, listen up you brow-less freak." he panted heavily as blood dripped down his chin. Sasuke's eyes narrowed in on the sight. **_Blood._** "Put this in your handbook; that the man who will one day become Hokage..." he paused as his hands brought his headband to his forehead, tying it where it belonged. "-Of the Village Hidden in Leaves, is Naruto Uzumaki!"

"Naruto..." Sakura whispered softly from beside him. She was almost awed by his confidence.

"Sasuke." Naruto murmured quietly, ignoring her praise for now as he glowered at their enemy. "You ready? I have a plan." he said which caused Sasuke to scoff softly. He couldn't believe him, the nerve of him. It brought a small smirk to his own lips as he tore his gaze away from the dizzying sight of the blood back to Zabuza.

" _Now_ you want to team up?" he muttered, noticing Naruto grin back at him from the corner of his eye.

"Let's get wild."

Zabuza seemed somewhat taken aback by Naruto's bravado. He wasn't expecting it, none of them really were. He laughed again. "So much arrogance, but do you actually stand a chance?"

"Heh." an unexpected voice sounded behind them, causing the genin to look over their shoulder at Tazuna. "I didn't think you had it in you. You got guts, kid." Tazuna's gravelly voice rumbled, a grin pulling at the corner of his lips as he looked down at the ground.

"Old man...?" Naruto murmured in confusion.

"It is my fault you guys are here, but I'm not going to deny I want to live. I'm not going to stop you. So... I'm sorry guys." He grinned, looking up at them with a smile which seemed strange on what they had come to know as a grouchy man's face. "If you want to fight, fight."

"Pfft." So, the old man was finally acknowledging them? At a time like this? Was it out of guilt for Kakashi's predicament? Either way, he wasn't going to question it. They had only one choice anyways and Tazuna probably knew that. Without Kakashi, no matter what, they were dead. Sasuke smirked, looking from Tazuna to Zabuza. "You hear that, Naruto? We got out client's blessing."

"Yeah." Naruto chuckled, adrenaline pumping through his body as he became eager for the fight. Eager to prove himself... but he already had. This Naruto was the real Naruto, not the scardy cat from before. "You ready?"

"You brats just don't get it, do you?" Zabuza chortled. "You'll never grow up. You want to keep playing ninja with me when I..." he paused, his body twitched with annoyance. "-was already soaked in blood by the time I was your age." he asked, laughing darkly at the expression on genins' faces. "Ha, you didn't know that? I bet you didn't know that the Hidden Mist Village was also called the Blood Mist Village, did you? You have no idea why, do you?" Zabuza smugly smirked, enjoying the strained expressions on their faces. "Do you want to know about our graduation exam?"

"We had a graduation exam, too. So, what!?" Naruto spat back, his jaw tense. He knew there had to be more to the story, but it was obvious he was scared of what that was. Whether he admitted that or not, that fear was there. Sasuke could feel it.

"Did you have to kill your classmates to pass?" He asked with a sly grin, freezing the genin to the spot. "Do the students of Konoha have to fight to the death? Friend against friend, friends who had trained together and ate at the same table together… pitted against one another in a survival of the fittest. Friends who had helped each other and shared the same dream, are killing each other!"

"T-That's awful..." Sakura whispered, her eyes wide in horror as she imagined what that must have been like.

"No." his gravelly voice purred, his eyes seeming to roll into the back of his head as he let out a demented chuckle. "That sure was... fun." He smiled nostalgically. His words felt like a bucket of ice cold water was suddenly dumped over their heads. **_Fun!?_** What kind of monster was he to think that that was fun! Sakura and Naruto, Ino.. They were annoying. He didn't like being around any of them but even still, no matter how many times he and Naruto fought, they had never tried to kill each other. Not once. He couldn't even picture killing, slaughtering his classmates like Itachi had slaughtered his family. The thought made him sick.

Then without warning, Zabuza attacked.

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 **LL: So guys we're REALLY proud of this chapter, it's our favorite so far. As always, we would love it if you review (and now you'll get a bonus chapter if you do!) O.o Heeeeyyyy I'm a poet and I didn't even know it! (Anon: -scoffs- loser) I should school Killer Bee on how to be cool! ya fool! (Anon: mega loser).**

 **BTW, my question of the day is...What are you guys looking forward to more? Vampire Sasuke stuff orrrrrrrrrrr SasuNaru/NaruSasu stuff?  
**

 **See you guys soon, read and rock on! Love you! :D**


	6. Chapter 6: I'll Believe in You

**A/N: Greetings people of earth and outer space! Another chapter down, plenty more to go. I hope you all enjoy and thank you everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited. I know many of you were looking forward to some good ole bonding time between Sasuke and Naruto just as much as we were. Hopefully, this chapter helps satisfy your cravings- but not to much, because we want to keep you coming back for more. The next chapter, during the training, is when Sasuke and Naruto will really start opening up to each other. ;P**

Nanapasapa: _Oh, it seems you are in the minority but don't worry! You never know what might happen when Naruto loses it and... releases the beast. ;)_ _ **(LL: oh my god, she's such a dork)**_ _On a more serious note, we want to put our best effort in giving as many of our readers what they want as possible. When it comes to Naruto's and Sasuke's relationship, they both have their moments in the spot light of dominance. So all the NaruSasu fans, don't worry. You will have your little NaruSasu moments._

oka & nuage buio: _You two seem to be on the same page. Lol. Hopefully you will both like this chapter, too._

Guest: _Hm, that is actually a hard question to answer. I don't want to give away any spoilers for the future, so for now, I am going to plead the fifth. You are just going to have to decide for yourself as the story progresses, what Naruto's story and situation is and how that differs from the canon and ties into Sasuke._

T. K. Virgo: _-blush- My, you flatter me so. I do try but actually, my original intent wasn't to end that chapter there. I was going to leave it hanging when Haku appeared, but I felt having part of the fight start out this chapter would be a good and exciting way to start off with a bang and add a little bit more variety to Chapter 6. Ending it there was really an accident so I can't take too much credit for it, it just seemed to fit into place all on its' own._

Tee: _I didn't even know that this was such an original idea. I was big on FanFiction years ago but I have fallen out of the scene for a long time and shifted my love of writing to RP. LL was the one to come up with the idea of a vampire twist to the fanfiction because she couldn't find any either, but was not comfortable writing it all on her own. So I came back to help her out and now I once again have been sucked into the sink hole of fanfiction addiction._ _ **#NoWayInNoWayOut (LL: -whispers- and we love it that way. I have a fanfiction addiction and I'm proud to admit it).**_

Mayla: _So glad you think so! You are our first commenter to not really show any preference towards one ship arrangement or the other. That is cool, personally I am like that too. LL leans more towards the SasuNaru. It will be interesting to see what you, someone sort of unbiased, thinks of the back and forth of dominance in their relationship. :)_

Arw165: _First comment or a hundred comments later doesn't matter. We care about everyone's imput, whether they be long time readers or first-timers and no fault on anyone for being greedy. We all are, people want what they want. I know for some of you re-reading something you have read before can be a bit boring and I apologize to those of you who find it so. It is a bit of a slow progression these first several chapters but we have been trying to keep it interesting with hints to the vampireness (such as the hunger for Naruto's blood during the kiss scene or his sudden lack of appetite) and original scenes. There was at one point in the story where Thing 1 didn't even realize that one of the original scenes I wrote wasn't even canon, which to me, is exactly what I wanted. It is a bit irritating times, but what we wanted most was a cohesive and believable story which requires a lot of presence from the canon to start off with. We were hoping seeing it from Sasuke's point of view, along with everything else, might add enough spice to the familiar plot elements to keep most everyone happy while we build up to it but sorry again for anyone who finds it unsatisfactory. I hope if you continue to read, you will find the story more enjoyable._

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Chapter 6

I'll Believe in You

Sasuke's POV

Zabuza's elbow collided with Sasuke's rib cage, sending the genin sailing backwards through the air. With his breath was forced out of his lungs; dark, disorientating spots blurred his vision. The pain was intense, but it was far from over. Before Sasuke's body could even hit the ground, Zabuza was on him again, bringing his tightly clenched fist down on the exact same spot Sasuke had been hit the first time. This time, instead of being sent flying he came crashing down towards the hard, dirt ground.

The impact forced a strangled cry of agony to escape him along with blood that sputtered past his lips. Winded, he choked and gasped for air, breathing in the dust that had been stirred up from the 'fight' and making it even harder for Sasuke to catch his breath and recover. Again, there was no time.

"Pathetic." Zabuza's gravelly voice chuckled darkly as he stepped onto Sasuke's wounded torso. He had to have broken either his chest plate or ribs. The pain was far more intense and extensive than just bruising. _This is a real shinobi,_ Sasuke thought fearfully through the pain. Zabuza's speed and power was incredible. He felt so helpless, so weak. It was just like back then. He couldn't do anything to stop him. _I'm just not strong enough..._

"Sasuke!" Naruto's and Sakura's voices called out in horror at seeing their team mate so easily batted aside. If he couldn't even hold his own against Zabuza, there was no way they could. _We're screwed, we were screwed the moment Kakashi got captured._ Sasuke begrudgingly admitted to himself. He knew Kakashi was their best chance at surviving, but trying to free him seemed as hopeless as trying to defeat Zabuza.

"Are you going to die, already?" Zabuza asked, sounding disappointed as he added pressure and weight to Sasuke's chest, causing him to groan in agony. "And you call yourself a ninja!" Zabuza sneered down at him, sending flames of fury coursing through Sasuke's veins as his onyx eyes glared back. He could no longer tell if the bitterness he tasted was from his own blood or from his burning hate and anger. This **was** pathetic. _In a matter of seconds to be taken down like this! This is not good enough. This was_ no _where near good enough._

Sasuke couldn't help but think back to the bell test. He had been in a similar situation as this. Kakashi had so easily taken him down, had stepped on him too. Just like back then, he felt his eyes sting and burn, causing them to gloss over and water. This was humiliating. How could he be this weak? How could his body be this frail? Both times he had been hungry but Sasuke knew that was just an excuse, not even a good one at that. The Academy thought he was a prodigy, but he was nothing more than the best of the worst!

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto shouted, shattering the relative silence. _Not that same old trick again,_ Sasuke thought in dismay. Naruto was going to get himself killed! The others should have taken advantage of Zabuza being distracted crushing him and run while they could. _Is that really his plan?_ This man wasn't Kakashi, he wasn't going to hold back! Desperately, Sasuke tried to tell them to run away and flee but the only noise to escape him was a low grunt of pain caused by Zabuza crushing him into the dirt.

The pain lessened as Naruto diverted Zabuza's attention. Smoke had erupted around them, dispersing into the fading mist to reveal what had to be fifty clones. It was a sizable different between what he had done in his fight with Kakashi but... It was doubtful they would be enough. It doesn't matter how many of them there were, quality always trumps quantity. He had to admit, though, for Naruto to produce so many was shocking. Even Zabuza seemed mildly impressed with the performance as he turned his focus from Sasuke to the clones. So much so he even took his foot off Sasuke and turned to face Naruto instead. While the relief from the pain was immediate, worry quickly came to the forefront of Sasuke's mind.

"Ah, interesting. Shadow clones and a good number of them, too." he mused, seeming to both approve and mock Naruto's attempt at the same time. His arm crossed over his chest as he reached over his shoulder to grab the hilt of his sword. _No,_ Saskue internally panicked as he tried to pick himself up. Each movement Sasuke made was agony, his breathing ragged as he tried to adjust to the pain. His efforts were in vain, as the only thing to leave his mouth was not words but blood. The crimson liquid squeezed past his gritted teeth and trickled out the sides of his mouth and down his chin. The droplets splashed against the dust and the dirt beside his tightly clenched hands. This was so frustrating! He was a ninja. The body, mind, and spirit of a shinobi had to be resilient and yet his seemed so frail. Especially since he could do nothing but watch as Naruto made his move. _Run, you idiot!  
_  
"Here I come!" The Naruto clones hollered in unison as they all pulled out kunai knives and together lunged for Zabuza. The Naruto army threw themselves at their much more formidable foe, burying Zabuza beneath a mass of orange jumpsuits. Sasuke's eyes were glued to the scene, trying to see if any of the Naruto clones were able to land even one blow on the rogue ninja. His frustration grew, unable to tell since the large number of bodies obstructed his view.

Suddenly, it was as if Zabuza erupted. The shadow clones could no longer cling to the older mans' body as he spun his massive sword around and easily flung them all away. Naruto's clones became scattered, tossed back like they were nothing more than mere inconveniences and one by one they disappeared in a puff of smoke. When Zabuza sliced through the air it was like a shock-wave, enough to send Sasuke, who was still only on his knees, skidding back several meters.

When the wind calmed down, Sasuke's eyes locked onto Zabuza, searching him for any sign of injury but found none. Even with all those clones, he wasn't able to land a single blow? "Sasuke!" Naruto's voice rang out, quickly drawing his attention to the blond who he saw was rummaging through his bag. "Catch!" he called out, before he tossed something into the air that came spiraling at towards Sasuke in a black blur.

With no time to think, Sasuke instinctively forced his body to push off from the ground and reach out for whatever it was Naruto threw towards him. It hurt to move, but he had to ignore it. It wasn't until his fingers wrapped around the object, that he processed what it actually was. While his eyes told him it was a simple ninja tool, he could feel Naruto's chakra buzzing against his hand. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but it almost felt like a rush of energy washed through him, chasing away some of the pain he felt.

Naruto turned himself into a shuriken? When and why? Did he do that just now, when he made the other clones? Why did he need to transform instead of just using a real ninja tool when Sasuke had a real windmill shuriken in his bag? Of course, Naruto would know that. Unlike the dobe, Sasuke was always prepared. Naruto must want him to use it for whatever reason, but he still wondered what a fake shuriken could do that a regular ninja tool could not.

 _Change back._ The realization dawned on him. It could change back.

A small grin pulled at the corner of his lips as he used the momentum of the shuriken he just caught to spin his body around. _Not bad, Naruto. 'You have to see underneath the underneath.' Looks like you can learn something after all._ He followed Naruto's lead, using sleight of hand to pull out a second windmill shuriken from his pack as he spun around, using his own body as a shield to block Zabuza's view like Naruto's clones did earlier.

 _This might actually work... Naruto must have realized that the only hope we have is Kakashi. You better not mess this up, dobe. We only have one shot._ He prayed as he began to release his chakra.

"Evil Wind Shuriken..." Sasuke's said quietly, his voice monotone with concentration. His chakra began to rotate the blades, causing them to unstack themselves and open into a four sided weapon. If this worked; if they could defeat Zabuza, if they could out smart him, then he would be that much closer to his ultimate goal. _This can not end here!_ "Shadow Windmill!" He hissed, his eyes closing for a moment as he felt the pressure weigh in on his shoulders.

He had done this a thousand times, but never had his life or the life of his comrades and client hung in the balance of his success. At first, it was something he had practiced to try and earn praise from his brother. He remembered how he would follow Itachi out into the woods, how hard he tried to mimic him, to be like him.

Sasuke's grip tightened on the two shurikens in his hand. _I will not fail_ , he vowed as he launched himself in the air with all the strength he could muster. Just like Itachi taught him... He wanted the high ground so he could better see the area, like a sniper, wanting the best unobstructed view.

"A shuriken won't work on me!" Zabuza growled, glaring up at him. He was infuriated that the genin thought they could actually fight back. His arrogance brought a smirk pulled at the corners of Sasuke's lips. They were being underestimated. Just like the bell test, and just like when it was Kakashi versus Naruto. More importantly, it was just what they wanted.

Sasuke swung his arm and sent the shuriken spiraling towards Zabuza. Naruto's words echoed through his mind as he briefly hoovered in the air. _I never go back on my word. When I say I'm going to do something, I do it. That's my ninja way! Believe it, believe in me!_ Time seemed to slow as the shuriken spiraled closer to their target. _Alright, Naruto..._ he thought to himself. _Just this once, I'll believe. I'll believe in you._

At the last possible second, the spinning blade suddenly curved around Zabuza's clone. It completely bypassed clone and flew straight towards the real Zabuza, who held Kakashi trapped in a water prison with one of his hands. "Ah, so you are aiming it at the real me." Zabuza murmured to himself as he watched the shuriken fly towards him without fear. "But... That is isn't enough!" He spat as he used his free hand and grabbed the ninja tool from the air once it was within reach.

It was only then, when he stopped the first shuriken, that Zabuza saw there was a second hiding in the shadow of the first. With barely a second to react, the spinning blades were only a foot away from cutting him in half but Zabuza acted quickly.

His agility allowed him to easily avoid it. Zabuza leaped into the air, tucking his knees high up and allowing the rotating blades to sail underneath him. "Not good enough!" Zabuza repeated, his beady eyes boring holes into Sasuke.

The corners of the Uchiha's lips twitched into a bigger smirk as he landed somewhat clumsily on the ground. On one knee, with his hands lightly clutching the front of his shirt, he bowed his head and hid his eyes behind his bangs. The second shuriken continued on its path behind Zabuza, flying directly into Zabuza's blind spot.

Once he was in position, Naruto transformed back into himself. The cloud of smoke must have given him away, lingering into the peripherals of Zabuza and Kakashi but it didn't matter. It was too late. His sky-blue eyes were blazing with intensity as he lined up his aim and sent the kunai knife in his hand rocketing towards Zabuza's head.

Zabuza had just looked over his shoulder, his eyes widening in shock as he saw the kunai coming at him. Instinctively, his self-preservation took over and he moved out of the way. There was only one thing he could do. His only option was to twist away from the blade, an action that caused his hand to pull free of the prison sphere. Even as fast as he was, it wasn't entirely fast enough, as the tip of the knife still lightly grazed across his cheek and left behind a small scratch.

The hate and anger in the eyes of their enemy brought new meaning to the phrase 'if looks could kill'. Zabuza let out a low growl as he lunged for Naruto, fully intending to make him pay. _It worked..._ Sasuke thought, stunned by the flood of triumph that washed over him. It was exhilarating. He would have been more worried for Naruto, but his eyes were glued to Kakashi. He watched in amazement as the water prison seemed to melt away and from it, and out darted their teacher to save the day.

"You damn brat!" Zabuza roared while the first windmill shuriken he had caught spun in his hand as he made his move towards Naruto. The blades never reached the genin, because Kakashi stood to defend him. Using his body as a barrier and the back of his hand as a shield, Kakashi kept the dangerous shuriken at bay. The blades of Zabuza's new weapon dug past the metal plate on the back of Kakashi's hand and blood began to ooze from the wound and drip into the water.

Naruto fell into the 'safety' of the water, emerging a second later to stare up wide eyed at the two powerful shinobi before him. A big, almost goofy grin stretched across Naruto's face as he looked up at their soaked sensei who was protecting him from Zabuza. The rush of victory must have just washed over him, too.

Kakashi's entire aura seemed to have changed. His head hung low and he panted for his breath, but his gaze was intense. Though disheveled, it was now their teacher who looked like the epitome of wrath and danger.

"Naruto..." Kakashi said quietly, "You did good. You guys have grown so much in such a short time, I'm proud of you." he praised, causing Naruto's eyes to widen with shock. Pure joy read across the blond's features as he lost the determined seriousness to his demeanor. Now that Kakashi had returned, he felt safe.

"I wouldn't say he did that good. I got distracted and released the jutsu." Zabuza huffed. _Tch. Looks like someone is either in denial or too embarrassed to admit that the oh-so terrifying Demon of the Mist was outsmarted by a couple of genin from the Leaf,_ Sasuke mentally remarked with sarcasm.

"You can't lie to me, you didn't release it. They forced you to break it." Kakashi stated with certainty, his calculating gaze locked onto Zabuza's face. "But that doesn't matter, anymore. Your fight with them is over, you are going to have to deal with me now."

"I dealt with you once, Sharingan Kakashi. I will deal with you again only this time, I'll be sure to kill you quickly!" Zabuza sneered back, trying to lean more of his weight behind the shuriken to lodge the blades deeper into the jonin's hand.

"I will tell you this, I won't fall for the same Jutsu twice. So what will you do?" Kakashi asked, continuing to hold his ground against the larger opponent. At first, Zabuza let out a hiss of annoyances, but that quickly turned into a laughed. Naruto proved to be more of a challenge than Kakashi, so far. Zabuza wasn't threatened by Kakashi's confident talk.

The two suddenly leapt away from each other and landed like mirror images of one another. Together they formed the same hand symbols and muttered the same exact chants at the same time.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Blast Jutsu!" They both called out as the water once again came alive and formed two giant, dragon-like beasts. The two opposing creatures began to battle and duel with each other, clawing and biting as they weaved back and forth through the air. Every time the two made contact, behemoth splashes of water fell into the lake. These splashes created huge waves that swept Naruto away in strong currents and even created small tsunamis that raced out past the shoreline.

 _This is incredible,_ Sasuke thought as he braced himself against the force of the water. Even as the water crashed into him, he couldn't take his eyes off the fight. What he had just witnessed had to be exactly what made his sensei so fabled. Kakashi had to have been copying Zabuza's every move, but he somehow did it in mere seconds. He had never seen anything like this before. **Sharingan** Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Ninja. Just who was he?

Kakashi and Zabuza were the only two not affected by the tidal waves that their water monsters created. Then again, it helped that the two could stand on the water's surface. They had transformed the lake into a battlefield as the two were clashed sword against kunai. They darted around the waterfalls that poured down from the injured water beasts, too intent on killing one another to care about the inconvenience of the waves. It was far more troubling for the others than it was for them.

They were fighting normally, just like two rival shinobi until suddenly they jumped away from each other. Then they ran in a circle for a second before they came to an abrupt stop. _What are they doing?_ Their movements no longer seemed to be fighting even though they stuck a jutsu pose. It was like Zabuza was testing how well Kakashi was copying him but it didn't look like Kakashi was coping him at all. He was mimicking Zabuza like a mirror.

There was still and silence as the two ninja squared off. Zabuza eyed Kakashi, looking him over and trying to find any flaw in his movements. Adding to the confusing scene, Kakashi spoke what seemed like the second half of a sentence. "-Reading your mind?" The jonin asked, causing Zabuza to stiffen.

"You're really starting to piss me off with that freaky eye of yours!" The demon of the mist growled. "All you are doing is copying me. **You can't beat me you monkey bastard**!" He angrily spat, only to freeze in shock as he registered Kakashi's voice saying every syllable along with him. " **DAMN YOU! I'LL MAKE IT SO YOU NEVER OPEN THAT MOUTH AGAIN!** " He roared, Kakashi once again yelling with him.

Zabuza was stunned, completely caught off guard. He was unable to comprehend what was happening and honestly, so was Sasuke. Was this the power of the Sharingan? "Water Style: Water Explosion Jutsu!" Kakashi finished the chant before Zabuza could even get a hold of himself.

"WHAT!? IMPOSSIBLE!" Zabuza screamed in outrage and utter confusion. There was simply nothing he could do as a cyclone burst from the water and drilled into the body of Kakashi's opponent. The force was enough to smash Zabuza through solid tree trunks as the water surged from the lake and swept over the clearing, washing everyone but Kakashi away.

The current pinned Zabuza against a large, strong standing tree that creaked and groaned at the pressure but refused to give. As the water began to recede, nearly a dozen kunai suddenly pierced his body, causing him to cry out in pain. _This is it. It's over,_ Sasuke thought as he slowly began to relax. He was exhausted...

Kakashi was crouched down, perched on one of the lower branches above the rogue ninja. It was from there he spoke. "It's over, Zabuza." Kakashi said, his tone cold as ice as he stared down at his enemy who was hissing with pain from the kunai blades embedded into his flesh. Meekly, Zabuza looked up towards Kakashi, a slight tinge of fear in his confused eyes.

"How...?" he demanded to know, his voice quieter than before. He had accepted his fate. "Can you see the future?"

"Yes." Kakashi murmured as held up one last kunai by his face. "You're going to die." He said, but before he could make the final move, something completely unexpected happened. From out of nowhere, three spikes suddenly pierced the side of his neck. Frozen, eyes still open, he fell to the side like a plank. Not even a single grunt sounded as he fell onto the ground, leaving everyone in shock. Any feelings of relief and relaxation evaporated in that instant.

"Heh, I guess you can see the future. He's dead." a soft, almost childlike voice said quietly from the tree line. Standing on a thick limb like Kakashi, was a masked boy, no taller than Naruto was. _Who the Hell was that?_

Kakashi did not take the boy's word for it as he jumped down beside Zabuza and quickly checked his vitals for a pulse. _There is no way... Just like that?_ Sasuke thought doubtfully to himself. _That's just not possible! After everything, some kid shows up out of nowhere and it is just over?_

Kakashi was silent, slowly moving his hand away from the body. _He is actually dead,_ Sasuke pondered in disbelief as Kakashi turned his attention to the newcomer. Their sensei studied the figure cautiously for a moment in silence before he straightened himself. "That mask... You must be a Hidden Mist tracking ninja." He stated in observation.

"You are well informed." The boy acknowledged. "I must thank you for your help. I have been searching for the opportunity to take down Zabuza for a long time. My duty is to hunt down missing ninja of the Mist who might pose a threat to my village's secrets and I believe we can all agree, Zabuza is defiantly a threat to everyone. The world is a much safer place now, for everyone."

Sasuke swallowed dryly, his jaw clenched tightly as he stared up at the boy. He sounded, he looked, their age yet he was wearing a mask like the ANBU. _He was sent to take down Zabuza? Alone?_ The same confusion, disbelief, and anger that was boiling in Sasuke erupted from Naruto.

"Gah! What the HELL!?" the blond cursed, attracting all the attention to himself as he ran towards the masked boy.

"Relax, Naruto. He isn't the enemy." Kakashi sighed as he sluggishly turned towards them, losing all traces of his once serious demeanor.

"I don't care about that!" Naruto spat. "He killed Zabuza! He was that strong! He was that strong and that- that KID killed him!? How is that possible!?" He growled with pent up frustration as he ground his teeth together. The strangers' reaction to Naruto was nothing more than a glance, though, it was hard to tell if there was more since his face was covered. He didn't acknowledge Naruto in any other way, remaining silent, perhaps because of Naruto's aggressive stance towards him.

"I know how you feel..." Kakashi sighed again as he walked towards Naruto. His hand gently reached out to ruffle his already disheveled hair. The gesture seemed to calm him down, somewhat, but the words he said next struck a chord in all of the genin. "But this is reality. The truth is in this world, there exists kids younger than you, yet stronger than me." His voice was low, quiet, and almost soothing but it didn't lessen the blow.

Sasuke glared down at the ground with fists clenched tight, his mind thinking back to his brother. He was possibly one of those kids Kakashi was speaking of. He was idolized even among the Uchiha clan for the power he possessed.

His anger was not felt for the stranger in the mask, or for Zabuza, but at himself. He wanted, he **needed** to be stronger than this. This kid and Zabuza both surpassed them at their age. What good was the Academy if everyone outside of it was so much stronger than they were? It didn't prepare them, train them, for anything!

"Your battle is over now." The tracker ninja said quickly and seemingly teleported to Zabuza's side. "I must now dispose of his body and all of its' secrets. Farewell." With that, the boy and the body departed in a funnel of wind and leaves. No trace of them was left behind by the time it settled, only air and empty field with the five of them standing in it.

"Haa, finally. Now that that is over, let's get Tazuna back home." Kakashi muttered, back to his usual lackadaisical state as he once again hid his Sharingan from site. When they were alone, Sasuke would need to ask him about that. He had a lot of questions for his sensei and he wanted answers. "Let's g-"

Kakashi had begun to speak but before he could finish his sentence, his body suddenly stiffened and he fell over onto his face. It was eerily like Zabuza, a similarity more than enough to freak out the other two. "Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura and Naruto yelled in unison as they rushed to their teacher's aid.

Sasuke hadn't seen anything happen to him and there were no needles lodged in his neck or anything. Not to mention he could see his torso was rising and falling with his breath. He knew their teacher was alive, so he was much slower and much less concerned than his teammates. Perhaps the dull throbbing and ache of his battered body also had a role to play in his unwillingness to move too much too fast.

None the less, when he arrived by Kakashi's side he knelt down to check his pulse. His dark orbs narrowing on the unconscious silver-haired man. He probably over used the sharingan, Sasuke deduced. He had seen it many times before. He was not worried about Kakashi, but rather, he was annoyed. Now they would have to carry him and it would take even longer to get to their destination. _Great._

"Is he dead?" Tazuna's gruff voice asked in shock.

"DEAD!?" Naruto squeakily repeated, having not even processed the possibility. Sasuke sighed.

"No. He just used too much Chakra." he said as his eyes narrowed on the back of their sensei's head. "How far are we from your place?" He asked, forcing his eyes from Kakashi and looking over his shoulder at Tazuna. He wouldn't be surprised if this was all a ruse or if Kakashi would just happen to wake up as soon as they arrive. It was an annoying possibility.

"A few hours." the drunk muttered, reaching into his pack to search for another bottle. He needed a drink. "I gotta say... I thought we were all dead for sure, back there. You two didn't screw it up as bad as I thought you were going to." he backhandedly praised. So _irritating._

"We will all just have to take turns carrying him, then." Sasuke sighed.

"Why don't we set up camp and wait?" Sakura suggested.

"We can't afford to wait. We don't know how long he will be out of it and how many more ninja will come after us."

"Won't they know where to look for us, though? I doubt they don't know where he lives..." she argued.

"Gatou isn't dumb enough to attack in the middle of town. We will be fine but for the record, I'm not carrying no one. I have to save by bad back for the bridge."

"Whatever, old man!" Naruto glared. "You're just full of excuses. Come on, we totally saved your life!"

"Last I checked it was the brat in the mask that finished off Zabuza for you. All you did was stall him long enough for the better kid to arrive." he huffed.

"Why you-!" Naruto growled, beginning to lunge towards Tazuna. His ego was already bruised as it was and rubbing salt into the wound wasn't helping. Of course, Tazuna knew that.

"Naruto!" Sakura chastised, hitting Naruto over the back of his head. "Knock it off and help me carry Kakashi-sensei. We will go first and give Sasuke-kun some time to recover from Zabuza's attack." She decided as she wrapped one of Kakashi's arms around her neck.

Naruto was whining in pain as he rubbed the top of his head, his gaze shifting to Sakura for a brief moment. It wasn't until she spoke that he was reminded that Sasuke had gotten hurt. He immediately turned his attention to the Uchiha. "Oh, right. Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Sasuke muttered, wiping his mouth and chin across the back of his sleeve in an attempt to wipe away the drying blood. He ignored the doubtful and concerned looks his team mates gave him as he focused on their teacher. "Let's just get this over with before anyone else comes after us." he muttered as he reached out to pull Kakashi's other arm over his shoulder.

"Sasuke! You got hit pretty hard, you should take it easy and let Narut-" Sakura began to speak but was quickly cut off.

"I'm fine." Sasuke snapped, not even looking at Sakura as he began to walk forward. He did feel better than he initially did, though he wasn't sure why. Adrenaline, maybe. In which case, it was best to get moving as quickly as he could.

"Just let me do it." Naruto scoffed as he reached over to try and take Sasuke's place. He was most likely only offering because he wanted to participate with Sakura, this wasn't exactly something any of them wanted to do.

"I said I'm fine." Sasuke glared, pausing to kick at Naruto's chest when he got too close. Given Kakashi's weight, his injury, and the fact he wasn't actually trying to hurt Naruto, the blond only stumbled back a few feet. It was enough to tick him off, though. "I don't need your help."

"Fine! Then when you get tired don't come whining to me. I'm only going to help Sakura, then!" He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest as he angrily looked away. They made it almost a mile before Sakura switched out with Naruto, though she did try to take Sasuke's place. He refused, now needing to prove a point to Naruto that he doesn't need help **period**.

"Sasuke..." Sakura's concerned voice murmured quietly from beside Tazuna up ahead of them. "You should switch out with me, now." she tried to convince him for the umpteenth time. He was sweating and out of breath, but so was Naruto, and neither of them were willing to cave.

"I'm fine, Sakura. Keep a look out for danger." Sasuke sighed.

"Why are you only concerned about Sasuke? I got hit, too!" Naruto pouted.

"Are you tired, Naruto?" Sakura asked, surprising Naruto that she was inquiring how he was feeling.

"Nope! Not at all, I'm super strong!" He boasted with a grin, pausing to sneer at Sasuke victoriously who simply rolled his eyes in return.

"Then... Why don't you just have your shadow clones carry Kakashi-sensei?" She asked, tilting her head to the side in thought as she tapped her pointer finger against her chin. Sasuke and Naruto both froze, their expressions draining of life as they both questioned why they didn't think of that.

For the past couple of hours, the only looks they really shared were glares as they walked. Now, a moment of understanding passed between their gaze as they both unwrapped Kakashi's arms from around their shoulders and let him fall to the ground. Neither of them really cared much about hurt him as they stretched and took a second to breath.

"Great idea, Sakura-chan!" Naruto beamed as he clasped his hands together and summoned his shadow clones. A small smirk pulled at the corner of Sasuke's lips as he watched him. "...What?" Naruto questioned when he noticed Sasuke's look.

"I won." He said simply as he turned and walked towards Sakura and Tazuna, his hands now moving to hold the straps of his backpack instead of supporting Kakashi's weight. It was nice to be relatively burden free, again. Plus, the look on Naruto's face was priceless.

"YEAH RIGHT YOU DID!" Naruto screeched, quickly taking his place among his clones in carrying Kakashi. He was going to carry Kakashi the rest of the way just to make sure that Sasuke didn't win! After all, he did swear he wasn't going to lose to him... and Naruto Uzumaki always keeps his word. That was his ninja way. The thought kept a smirk on Sasuke's face the rest of the way, especially after they had actually reached Tazuna's village and house.

Sakura sighed, exasperated with the two of them. "Honestly, how can you two work so well one minute and start arguing like this the next?" she questioned, but no one answered. Instead, they focused on the person in front of them.

A young woman quickly ran out to greet them almost as soon as they arrived. "Father! You made it home safety. I wasn't sure you would." She sighed in relief. "Oh, please, come in." She added once she took in Naruto's and Kakashi's appearance.

"You worry too much." Tazuna laughed half-heartedly, though his laugh all together ceased at the glare his daughter gave him.

Naruto and his clones once again dumped Kakashi onto the floor, where Tazuna's daughter took over in caring for him. She quickly got him into a bed so he could recover more comfortably while Naruto collapsed onto the floor. His clone disappeared in a cloud, leaving him lying on his back and trying to catch his breath.

With Kakashi squared away, she turned to the others. "My name is Tsunami. It is nice to meet you. Thank you so much for getting him back here, I know he is quiet a handful." she bowed formally, almost as if apologizing for her father. She knew him well. With that being said, father and daughter moved off to another room to speak in private after she excused themselves.

"I..." Naruto paused to pant. "Win."

"Wrong." Sasuke murmured lightheartedly as he sat down on the edge of Tazuna's porch, one leg dangling over the side while the other was propped up as an arm rest.

"What!?" Naruto gasped, looking at him with exhaustion and confusion. "I carried him way longer than you did!"

"Yeah, but when I carried him, I was mostly going uphill. You mostly went down." Sasuke commented, enjoying how his already flushed face darkened with anger. "That and you were gullible enough to be tricked into carrying him the rest of the way."

"Hey guys..." Sakura's quiet voice attracted Naruto's attention before he could throw himself at Sasuke and try to strangle the arrogant Uchiha. "...What do you think is under Kakashi's mask?" She questioned, her pupils dilating with curiosity as she stared intently at Kakashi's face. Naruto's and Sasuke's eyes slowly following suit as their imaginations began to wander.

"...Hehehe." Naruto chuckled mischeviously as he slowly sat up. "Let's find out." he purred.

* * *

That was a fun chapter, lots of SasuNaru development I feel. What do you guys think? Each chapter is a little bit more fun for us to write than the next, I think. Maybe because I know I'm getting closer to unraveling plot development or maybe because I'm shaking off the rust after not having written fanfiction in so long. Don't forget to let us know what you think!

 **BTW, I totally think Sasuke would be a sore loser. He's such a cheater, that Uchiha!**

Question of the Chapter: Tell us about your fanfiction addiction! It can be how you got started reading and/or writing fanfiction. Have you ever taken a break from it, too? Or you can say what was the first fandom you read or wrote about? It is up to you!


	7. Chapter 7: Whose Improved the Most?

**AA: Hello, once again! We sure are edging closer and closer to not only Chapter 10 but 50 reviews! That is insane and incredible and thank you so much everyone for your support! Summer break is almost over and I know personally, I'm looking forward to school and furthering my education. How about you guys? Are you happy or sad that the summer is over? I know one thing I'm not going to miss is when things start cooling down. I hate the heat.**

Guest: _Aw, you are so sweet! Thank you so much for all the love! It is really nice just to hear someone out there likes what you do, means the world. I'm really looking forward to Sasuke and Naruto bonding as well. Did you know that the original author of Naruto wanted to end the show as a Shonen-AI? I think it would have been a great way to really elaborate on their bond, but alas, they skip around so many juicy things._

Tee: _Same. It is a double edged blade when a show doesn't go how you want it to go. On one hand you are disappointed because characters have a way of coming to life and you want what you want for them. Then on the other, part of not having the control over them is what gives them that life, gives you new ideas to see someone think of something you did not, etc. I'm having that issue with Fairytail right now._

drmona lord: _I know those feels. Sometimes you just have to take a step back and look at your story from start to finish, weed out plot holes, and the like. I am having that problem with an original story of mine, too. It is especially hard to write something entirely from scratch unlike fanfiction, which gives you like the Lego blocks you need to create whatever you want from there._

T. K. Virgo: _Thank you so much, always so flattering!_ -blush- _I think I read a lot of Harry Potter when I was starting out on fanfiction, too. I think I liked the Heromine x Draco ones, the good girl making the bad boy less bad cliché was always cute. Heromine x Harry was of course a favorite, too. I can't believe NOW J.K. Rowling is coming out saying that Heromine was supposed to be black and how she wishes that she had written Heromine ending up with Harry instead of Ron. Come on, woman! A little late to be trying to change our childhoods! I absolutely know what you mean when you say you lose interest in writing. For me, once I have it all planned out in my head, my mind is just like 'Well, I already know what happens so let's move on to the next story to create!'. I could only ever get past a few chapters and I think this is the farthest I have ever gotten. Reaching Chapter 10 is going to be a huge milestone for me and it helps that I have people like you guys and LL supporting me and cheering me to the finish line._

 **Chapter 7  
Sasuke's POV  
Whose Improved the Most?  
**

* * *

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise as Naruto began crawling towards Kakashi. "Naruto!" She hissed under her breath nervously, afraid her voice would wake up their sensei. "What do you think you are doing?"

"What does it look like?" Naruto chuckled quietly, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. "I'm going to solve a mystery."

"How do you still have so much energy?" Sasuke murmured glaring at him from where he sat. He was just now starting to relax. It felt nice to be off his feet and not needing to carry his heavy backpack anymore. He hadn't felt like this in a long time. Hungry, tired, and sore didn't even begin to cover it.

Naturally, Naruto seemed to take his question as a compliment and completely missed his mocking tone of voice. A smirk quickly spread across his lips causing Sasuke to sigh internally. _He was so dense._ Naruto had always been hyperactive and high maintenance. Then again, having a lot of energy to burn was a good thing for a ninja. "What do you mean? As if that easy walk home would wear me down, I could do that in my sleep!" he boasted. It was hard for Sasuke to resist the urge to roll his eyes at him.

"You collapsed on the floor, Naruto." Sakura reminded him with a small scowl.

"Yeah, well I got right back up again, didn't I?"

"Keep your voices down." Sasuke muttered. "Kakashi needs to rest."

"Which reminds me, I wonder what happened to him." Sakura hummed in thought. "He seemed fine one moment and the next he just fell over."

"Hey, do you guys think it had something to do with that freaky eye of his?" Naruto asked, as he looked over at Kakashi and seemingly forgetting about his mission to peek underneath his mask. Sasuke felt his muscles stiffen again at the mention of the Sharingan.

"Maybe... I don't really know much about Sharingan, though. Hey, Sasuke, do you know?" she asked, having picked up on what he had said during the fight. It was Sasuke who explained to them what it was, who knew anything about it. It was only logical she would ask him for more information about it.

He remained silent, though, His head bowed in frustration as he glared at the ground. _His_ family's special jutsu once made the Uchiha's legends and now because of _him_ , the people of their village didn't even know what it was. The only one in the village who had the great power of his clan, wasn't even a Uchiha. This isn't how things were supposed to be.

"Here you guys, are." Tsunami's voice sounded from the doorway as she brought in a tray of tea for them. "You must be exhausted from the trip. There is a bath house in the back you can use to wash up. I'm cooking dinner but you should have some time." she informed them, handing each genin a cup of tea, except for Sasuke who had refused it. He didn't even look at her as she slowly turned and made her way back into the other room.

"I hope she is making ramen." Naruto purred happily as he sipped at his hot drink.

Sasuke painfully pulled himself to his feet, ignoring his body as it screamed in protest. With any luck, a nice hot soak would help ease the pain. He filled the tub with hot water and bath wash before he slowly sank into the water. Sure enough, relaxing in the hot liquid brought him almost instant relief. Leaning his head back against the cool rim of the tub, he sighed in contentment and closed his eyes. Between the hot water and the humidness of the room, Sasuke felt very comfortable and unknowingly drifted off to sleep.

He didn't even realize he lost consciousness until he heard the bathroom door slide open with an abrupt shake. Even then, he was reluctant to wake. "Aw, man. Only one tub?" Naruto scowled, seeing that Sasuke was asleep in there. With a huff, he moved over to the shower stall instead. At the sound of his jarring voice, Sasuke pried one eye open just to glare at him out of the corner of his eye.

"This is someone's home, Naruto. Not a communal hot spring." He muttered, stretching and sitting up as he forced himself to become more alert. He was normally a light sleeper, but he had not been feeling and acting like himself lately. He wondered if there could be something causing this…

"I know that." Naruto scowled, taking a seat on a small stool after setting his towel and clothes to the side so he didn't get them wet. He kept his back to Sasuke for the most part, as he went about washing himself. Sasuke clicked his tongue in annoyance. He hadn't really planned on sharing the same space as Naruto. If he wasn't going to leave which he clearly wasn't, then he would. The water had cooled down a lot anyways.

He didn't say anything else as he reached for his own towel. He simply did his best to pretend like Naruto wasn't even there and began to dry off. From the corner of his eye, he noticed that Naruto was staring at him. At first he was confused as to why, it wasn't the normal glare they usually exchanged. Instead he almost looked sad. Then he remembered his pale skin already heavily bruised with dark purple patches. Zabuza had really laid into him. Nearly half his torso was covered in these marks, no wonder he didn't feel good. He continued to get dressed in silence, choosing to ignore Naruto's stare to the best of his abilities. It really only made him angrier. He didn't need his pity.

As he shot Naruto a dirty look on his way out, he paused as he realized something about Naruto's own injury. He had stabbed a kunai nearly through his hand only a day or so ago and it was completely healed. There wasn't even a scar. He paused at the doorway, his brows furrowing in confusion. _How could he heal that fast_? he wondered.

* * *

"AHH!" Naruto screamed in surprise as he fell backwards. He had been inspecting Kakashi as he slept, once again trying to work up the courage to reach out and pull down his mask. He was not prepared for his eye to suddenly pop open. "K... Kakashi-sensei! You're finally awake!" He exclaimed while stuttering.

Sakura had let out a small gasp of surprise as well, since she had been intently watching from a little further away. She wasn't expecting Naruto to suddenly erupt like he did, either. "Naruto!" she instantly began to try and cover any involvement she had in the blondes' shenanigans. "What are you doing!?"

"Did I hear right?" Tsunami called from the next room as she followed the sound of their shouting. At the sight of Kakashi's awakened form, her hands move to her hips as she strikes an almost disapproving pose. "So, you are up. How are you feeling?"

"Fine, I just won't be able to move for a week or so." he groaned, attempting to remain aloof despite his obvious pain as he tried to sit up.

"Then I think you need to relax." she said.  
"Right." He chuckled as he complied with her orders, slowly laying back down.

"Sensei... The Sharingan is incredible and all," Sakura began to hesitantly say, "But if it puts that much stress on your body, is it really worth using it?"

"Well," Tazuna gave a half-hearted laugh of relief. "We defeated Zabuza because of it. It saved our lives and we can finally breathe easy for a while."

"Well, there is still that masked kid to worry about, isn't there?" Sakura asked as she stroked her chin in thought.

"That mask..." Kakashi murmured, his tone becoming somewhat serious. "It is supposed to be worn by the Hidden Mist Special Tracker Ninja. They are known as body erasers since it is their duty to completely dispose of the bodies without leaving a trace."

"What!?" Sakura gasped, horrified by such a title and duty. Naruto seemed just as repulsed.

"Why do they do that?" Uzumaki questioned.

"A ninja's body has within it secrets of the village's ninjutsu. Information on different chakra types, herbs, and secrets that could leave a village exposed. For example, if I died, there would be those after the secrets my Sharingan could reveal. If you aren't careful, there is the possibility the enemy will steal your jutsu." Kakashi explained. "Because of the important information a shinobi's body could reveal, tracker ninja are vital to the villages. By killing and disposing of the missing or rogue ninja who have died or abandoned the village, they protect that information from falling into the wrong hands. They are specialists specifically trained to guard their villages secrets."

"That's s-scary..." Naruto whimpered under his breath. "If that is the case, I don't want to know what that kid did to Zabuza's body!"

"No sight, no sound, no evidence. That is a ninja's end." Kakashi paused... his hand moving to cover his face.

"...Something wrong?" Sasuke asked, watching him closely.

"Hm? Well, it's just that body erasing teams usually dispose of the body right then and there. They do it as quickly as possible at the scene of the crime to try and rid every last drop of blood." he murmured. Sasuke blinked in surprise, his brows furrowing in confusion and anger. _That kid from before.._.

"So what?" Sakura tilted her head, not understand what Kakashi was getting at. Neither did Naruto for that matter as he hummed to himself in thought. You could see the gears in his head trying to grind together, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get them to budge.

"Don't you see? The so-called tracker ninja from before. How did he dispose of the body?" Kakashi quizzed, peaking at her through the cracks between his fingers. Sakura shrugged in response.

"How could we know? That masked guy took the body with him." she answered.

"Exactly. If he needed proof of his work, he would have just taken the head." Kakashi murmured lowly and removed his hand from his face. "Not to mention the weapon he used to 'kill' Zabuza with..."

"Medical needles." Sasuke whispered, "No way..." That child from before, he played them!

"Exactly." Kakashi sighed, sounding more tired than ever.

"What in the Hell are you guys talking about?" Tazuna huffed, frustrated that he wasn't able to follow along with their 'ninja nonsense' as he called it.

"Most likely..." Kakashi paused, "Zabuza is still alive."

"WHAAA!?" Naruto, Sakura, and Tazuna all roared in outrage. Their explosion was due to a mixture of both shock and fear. Tsunami, who did not know the dangers the man possessed, merely watched in confused silence.

"How is that possible!?" Naruto cried out as his voice wavered.

"Kakashi-sensei! You checked and said he was dead yourself!" Sakura shouted.

"I did and there wasn't a pulse... but most likely it just a death-like state. Playing possum or something like a momentary death, if you will." he sighed, slowly sitting up despite needing to rest. "Those needles are used by doctors in acupuncture therapy. Unless they hit a vital organ, it has a low probability of killing your opponent. As a requirement of their job, hunters like Tracker Ninja thoroughly know about the body's structure. Manipulating the body and putting someone in such a state of low bodily function is probably easy for them."

"Come on, what proof is there?" Tazuna tried to reason, beads of sweat beginning to drip down his forehead as any relief he felt before left his body entirely.

"First, he carried Zabuza's larger and heavier body. Second, he used a weapon with a low chance of killing. These two points alone indicate that he had a motive other than simply destroying the body. His purpose might not have been to kill Zabuza at all but to save him. We can't ignore that possibility."

"Aren't you thinking too much?" Tazuna swallowed tightly, obviously in denial of the suspicious circumstances. "Tracker ninja are supposed to kill and destroy ninja, like you said."

"No. With all this suspicion, we will prepare before it is too late. That is a shinobi rule." Kakashi stated with no room for debate. "Plus, whether Zabuza is dead or alive, there's no assurances that Gatou hasn't haired an even stronger shinobi to take his place." Kakashi's gaze rested on Naruto, who seemed to be so focused on his thoughts he stared straight through his sensei. An eager smile pulled on his lips, one that almost looked twisted on his face. Sasuke couldn't help but feel that the look in Naruto's eyes, was one of blood lust. _Is he actually excited that Zabuza might be alive? Why? Does he want to fight him again or something?_

"Sensei, what do you mean 'prepare before it is too late'? You can barely move." Sakura pointed out.

"Hehehe. I can still train you." he assured her. Instead of calming her, it seemed to only make her angry.

"Train!? What is a little training going to do!? Our enemy is a ninja you struggled against even with the Sharingan! We don't stand a chance at all, we are just going to get killed!" she snapped at him, afraid.

"Sakura, who saved me while I was struggling? You three. You guys have grown rapidly, especially you Naruto." He praised and even flashed Uzumaki a smile. His approval causing his blue eyes to light up and a light blush to spread across his whispered cheeks. "You have improved the most."

"...I guess." she murmured softly. Sakura begrudgingly followed Kakashi's gaze to Naruto's now beaming face. Even Sasuke had to admit Naruto had gotten better. Honestly? It pissed him off a little. Naruto started at the bottom and now he's done so much. Him on the other hand? Sasuke had natural talent and he had plenty of room to grow but didn't improved at all. If anything, he felt like he was getting worse.

"Obviously, this training is just until I get better, you won't be able to defeat him without me." he sighed, as if wishing that wasn't the case. A person who was in a state to mimic death, it should take even him awhile before their body returns to normal. You guys have plenty of time to improve if you work hard." he promised.

"Sounds like fun!" Naruto chuckled, his fists clenching with determination as he began to fidget excitedly. He was already itching to get to it. Whatever it was, he wasn't going to lose. Now was his chance to improve to.

"That's not fun." a small voice said from the doorway, causing the three genin to turn and look at a younger kid who was glaring at them.

"Oh, yeah!? Just who are you?" Naruto questioned, offended.

"INARI!" Tazuna beamed as he held out his hands for a hug. "Where were you!? Did you got to bed early last night?"

"Welcome home, grandpa." the kid said as he made his way over to the old man to give him a hug. From below his hat, his dark eyes bore judgmental holes into their faces.

"Inari, say hello to these people. They are the ninjas who protected grandpa." Tsunami said quietly, trying to make sure her child remembered his manners.

"Mom... they are going to die." He said plainly, pointing at Naruto in particular. "There is no way they can win against Gatou."

"What did you just say!?" Naruto glared, upset at the child's lack of faith. The child's head bowed at his anger, but it was not in submission. It was more in defeat. It was almost eerie how empty the child's eyes seemed to be. Sasuke knew that look, knew what it meant. This child had lost something or someone very close to him. "You brat!" Naruto cried out in irritation.

"NARUTO!" Sakura growled, reaching her hand out to yank him back. "What are you doing, getting yelling at a child!"

"Inari, was it!? Listen up! I am a really powerful ninja who will one day become an even more incredible ninja called the Hokage! I don't know this Gatou guy, but he is nothing against me!" Naruto smirked and held out his fist as a gesture of his determination. Sasuke just started at him, blinking at his stupidity. It seemed that Kakashi's compliment had gone straight to his head.

"Pfft." Inari huffed, clearly not impressed. "What are you, stupid? You think you are some kind of hero or something? There is no such thing. If you don't want to die, you should just leave." he muttered before he turned and began to walk out. Once again, Naruto erupted, insulted by the kid's words and attitude. Sakura quickly held the enraged genin back. _Like grandfather like grandson._ Sasuke thought as he watched the child somberly.

"Inari, where are you going?" Tazuna called after, his tone saddened by the kids' behavior.

"To my room." he said simply as he quickly ran upstairs. Tsunami sighed softly, giving a small shake of her head as she slowly turned and made her way to another room.

"Sorry..." Tazuna murmured quietly and slouched forward. The drunk and Kakashi began to talk about something involving children nowadays, but Sasuke tuned them out. Instead, his gaze was locked on Naruto who had managed to slink away and was following after Inari.

Annoyed, he stood and followed after. Naruto was at least twice his age and he was still going to pick a fight with him? _Pathetic. Downright disgraceful._ He could hear Naruto muttering under his breath as he silently followed after him, not wanting to draw attention to them. It would have been easier to just ask Naruto where he was going, then Kakashi and Sakura would have stopped him and he wouldn't have to get involved any further. Watching Naruto walk away, something about him being oblivious to the fact he was watching and now stalking after him, made his heart race.

"Dammit. Where is that brat, he needs to learn a lesso-" Naruto said before freezing in place. Did Naruto actually realize what an idiot and an asshole he was being? _Unlikely..._ Then the soft sound of crying echoed down the hall. _That's explains it._

Sasuke paused, his jaw tightening as he heard the soft whimpering of a lost and broken little kid. Inari cried for his father and Naruto stood there, eyes glazing over as he watched the scene. At least he had enough common sense not to pick on a crying kid. Honestly, he wasn't sure why he had even followed Naruto, it wasn't his place. Perhaps out of curiosity at what the child was experiencing or perhaps he was just looking forward to a chance to teach Naruto a lesson instead.

The realization that he had no idea what he was doing or why he was doing it gave Sasuke control of his body again. Quickly, but silently, he took a step back and began to create distance between him and Naruto. What was happening to him lately? He was starting to become concerned. Perhaps he should talk to Kakashi or a doctor when they return to the Leaf? Was it just his imagination or was something actually... wrong?

With a small shake of his head, Sasuke made sure he was fully snapped out of it before he snuck back downstairs. He did not want to be caught by Naruto or anyone else for that matter. When he came downstairs, he saw that Tsunami was helping Kakashi stand as Sakura held a set of crutches, waiting to give them to her sensei.

* * *

"Alright. Let's start training right away." Kakashi said once they made their way outside and a little ways into the forest flanked the house.

"Woohoo!" Naruto cheered with excitement.

"-Before we actually begin, I'd like to recap on what you learned at the Academy." Kakashi added, quickly putting a damper on Naruto's spirits. He liked the physical part of being a ninja, not the mental. "Let's start with the shinobi ability, chakra."

"Umm... What about it?" Naruto murmured, scratching the back of his neck.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted in disbelief. "You're a ninja and you don't know about chakra? What did you do in school!?" It wasn't until now that Sasuke realized that she was actually just as loud as Naruto, was. The only difference was Naruto yelled at everyone while she only yelled at Naruto.

"Of course I do!" he yelled back, pausing to give a nervous chuckle. "Though... I did sleep during the hard classes." he admitted sheepishly. _This is sad,_ Sasuke silently sighed.

"Sure you do. Sakura, would you care to explain?" Kakashi prompted, obviously doubting that Naruto knew what chakra was.

"Alright, Naruto. Listen up I will try to break it down for you. Try to remember it this time around." She huffed indignantly. "Chakra is the energy a shinobi uses when performing different kinds of jutsu. There are two different forms of chakra physical and spiritual. Physical energy is what keeps every cell in your body alive and spiritual energy is channeled through your soul. Ninja use hand signs to help channel their two chakras. This allows them to use jutsu."

"Exactly." Kakashi praised. "Good to see Iruka had some students that pay attention." Now it was Sakura's turn to smile and blush. It seemed like almost everyone was getting their ego stroked today.

"Hey, what does it matter? Isn't that something we can learn without studying? Who cares about the text book definition." Naruto huffed, trying to cover the fact he still didn't really understand chakra.

"Naruto is right." Sasuke said, surprising everyone. "We can already use jutsu." He was eager to skip the academy lessons as well and get to the real training. He needed to improve.

"Wrong." Kakashi deadpanned. "You guys are using chakra, but you are not using chakra properly."

"What!?" Naruto gasped in surprise. Even Sakura seemed a little shock.

"Like Sakura said earlier, when you use jutsu you release chakra. You use both forms of chakra and there are even different types those two forms can be broken into as well. Lightening, Fire, Wind, Water, and Earth are the main ones. The jutsu decides the amount, the type, and the form of chakra you will be using. To put it simply, you are not using your chakra efficiently. Even if you have the ingredients, you aren't measuring it out to the perfect mixture. You're just guessing. Even if you release high amount of chakra, it will be worthless and nothing but wasteful if you cannot mold it properly."

"So what can we do then?" Naruto questioned, rubbing the back of his head nervously. He was clueless.

"Learn to control it. The training will be tough." he murmured solemnly, causing them all to sweat a little.

"What are we going to do?" Sakura asked nervously.

"Tree climbing." Kakashi said simply. It took a moment for his words to register and when they did, it resulted in anger in the three genin. This was just like the stupid bell test, where he made it seem all dramatic for something ridiculously simple.

"What!? Tree climbing!?" Sakura and Naruto exclaimed in disbelief. "That sounds boring..." Naruto added with a groan.

"What kind of training is that?" Sakura questioned doubtfully as she looked at Kakashi in annoyance. Sasuke failed to see the potential benefits as well.

"Well, shut up and listen. Maybe I would be done talking by now." Kakashi sighed. "This isn't normal tree climbing. You will be climbing without using your hands."

"...How?" Sakura questioned, seeming less enthusiastic by the second while Naruto seemed to be cheering up. It seemed slightly more interesting than regular tree climbing.

"Watch." Their sensei said simply as he made a sign to help him focus his chakra. A small swirl circled around his feet for a brief moment before it was gone in an instant. Slowly, he began to meander his way towards a tree. As he made his way to the trunk, instead of going around, he stepped on to the tree. Defying gravity, he walked his way straight up the tree and even hung upside down as he continued on to a branch.

"He's climbing!" Naruto whispered in awe.

"Vertically. With just his legs." Sakura nodded, shocked at what she was witnessing. It was less like he was climbing and more like he was just walking. Altering reality.

"You understand now?" he hummed as he smiled down at them. "Gather your chakra in the bottom of your feet and climb up the tree. This is something you can do once you learn how to better manage your chakra."

"Wait a second!" Sakura shouted up at him. "How is learning to climb without our hands going to make us stronger!? Our lives are in danger, here!"

"The main point is to teach you to control your chakra. You'll need to bring out the proper amount in the proper area. This is the most important aspect of using jutsu. This is difficult for even skilled ninja. The amount of chakra needed to climb a tree is small, but it must be exact. Not to mention it is said that the bottom of the feet are the hardest parts of the body to gather chakra. Basically, if you can learn to master this than theoretically, you can master almost any jutsu."

"Alright!" Naruto grinned, that eager glimmer returning to his eyes.

"That is not all. The second thing you must do is develop the stamina needed to properly control chakra for a prolonged period of time. Depending on the jutsu, controlling your chakra properly can be very difficult. In battle, a ninja needs to be able to gather his chakra while moving, which just makes it that much more difficult. Well..." he drawled off. "Talking about it all day isn't going to accomplish anything." he said as he pulled out three kunai knives.

With little more than a flick of his wrist, he sent the three knives rocketing towards them. They shot into the ground, one landing in front of each of the genin. "Gah!" Naruto exclaimed, jumping in place. "What are these for?"

"Use these kunai to mark how high you make it up the tree. You won't be good enough to just walk up the tree on your first try so get a running start and let your momentum help you. Try and make it past your previous mark and make it higher and higher on the tree. Got it?" he asked as the three yank the knives from the soil.

"Yeah, no problem!" Naruto grinned. "This training isn't going to stop me because I'm the one who improves the most!"

"You're also the one who talks to most." Kakashi shot back with a groan. "Why don't you just get to tree climbing?" he asked, though it didn't sound like much of a question. The three of them separated a little, each standing in front of their chosen tree. They paused, mimicking Kakashi and the hand sign he formed as they took a moment to gather their chakra.

Sasuke could feel the energy bubbling around his feet. "Here I go!" Naruto shouted, charging towards his tree and signaling for the others to do the same. For all his talk, the dobe didn't even make it two steps up the trunk before he fell back onto the ground. "Ouch!" he whined, sitting up to rub his throbbing head.

Sasuke sprinted almost eight feet up, before he felt the bark suddenly explode under his foot. Quickly, he swiped the knife across the bark as he was blasted backwards. He landed on his feet like a cat, glaring up at his foot sized impression. _I didn't think it would be this hard,_ he thought to himself. Controlling chakra was exhausting. _Too much and the wood cracks. Too little and you aren't planted at all._

"Hey! This is pretty easy!" Sakura cheerily called down from above. She giggled and stuck her tongue out at the boys down below. She was already at the top, sitting on a tree branch as she swung her legs. Sasuke's jaw clenched in envy. Sakura was able to make it all the way up there?

"Sakura-chan! You're amazing!" Naruto gushed.

"Looks like you are the best as controlling your chakra, Sakura. I'm impressed." Kakashi once again praised. Anger flashed through Sasuke as he glared down at the ground in shame. This was not good enough! "You know, not only is she smart but she has great control of her chakra. If anyone out of you three is going to become the Hokage, it looks like it's going to be her. As for the great Uchiha clan, it looks like they aren't so great after all." he goaded them.

Sasuke knew what he was doing, but it worked none the less. It angered him. Humiliated him. Made his desire to improve that much greater. He needed to restore honor to his clan. He needed to prove him wrong.

"SHUT UP, SENSEI!" Sakura snapped at Kakashi. The remaining two ninja genin ignored her yelling, and just glanced at one another. A strange understanding passed between the pair. Now it was just the two of them and training had simply become a competition to see who was better. It was a test to see who was closer to their ultimate goal.

Sakura jumped back down and the three of them continued to train. It wasn't long before Sakura became completely worn out and Naruto grew frustrated from landing on his head for the umpteenth time. "Ouch!" he cried out as he stood and stomped his foot angrily. Sasuke was pretty worn out too, especially since his torso had some ways to go before it would be good as new. He had to take a moment to rest, kneeling down as he tried to catch his breath. It wasn't easy.

He wasn't making much improvement... How frustrating. What was he doing wrong? What could he do to make it better? "Damn it!" Naruto huffed, stomping away from his tree. Sasuke's eyes followed him. Was he giving up already? No, that didn't seem like Naruto. Then again, what he did next was even less like Naruto. He crouched down in front of Sakura, using his hand to block his mouth, he began to whisper to her. It didn't take a genius to figure out about what. He was asking for tips. He would never have expected Naruto to ever do something like that. It was something he refused to do for now. Not only would it look like he was copying Naruto if he did, but it would be accepting that he couldn't figure it out on his own. He didn't need anyone's help. He would never get stronger like that.

* * *

 **LL: So it's the last week of summer break, how sad. I'm going back up to college next week. I'm excited but I'm also kinda bummed out. Thing 2 doesn't start school yet, so you guys are good. The updates will continue to flow on a regular schedule! See ya soon. The next time you hear from me, I won't be a free man. :(**


	8. Important Update

Hi everyone, it's Lauren here.

So has officially started for both thing 1 and for thing 2. I'm sorry we didn't post, thing 2's computer broke so now she has to write / edit on her ipad and she's miserable. And I was packing like crazy last week, drove 8 hours away to school on Friday, and I've been ALL over the place today. We wanted to keep the update schedule constant, but we might have to drop it down to one chapter every two weeks. We're just so busy. I'm a division 1 athlete (three cheers to all my fellow college student-athletes out there) and I'm also pre-med, a research assistant, possible double major... the works. And thing 2 has a lot on her plate as well. So this is what we're going to do.

We'll still try to update every Friday. If it's not up on Friday, keep a look out because the chapter might go up the next day or Sunday the latest. If the chapter is still not up by Sunday afternoon, then we got swamped with work and it will just be posted the following Friday. So the update schedule will be a pseudo every week every other week kind of thing.

I hope this works for you. It's the best we can do, but we refuse to abandon this story. I'll see you guys next Friday with the chapter. It's pretty long!


	9. Chapter 8: The Calm Before the Storm

I am so sorry for the late update. Both of us are in school, Thing 2 just got a job, I'm taking Organic Chem (dear lord help me) and I'm suffering from an old head injury that's giving me a lot of problems. We're both a mess. We'll keep trying to update once a week, but realistically it's probably going to be once every two weeks. My head just can't handle it – yay concussions. And Thing 2 is just so busy she can barely write either. But never fear, for we WILL keep writing. It's just going to be much slower. Expect an update once every two weeks. And thanks for being so understanding with the changes. It's awesome that you guys are so flexible.

T.K. Virgo: _Thanks for the love. :) As far as writing goes, I know it helps both Thing 1 and myself if we actually have someone to bounce the ideas off of. Being able to verbally describe your story makes a big difference in getting those writer blockers moving, especially when that person can give you new ideas to keep the engine going. If you haven't tried that, perhaps it would help?_

Guest: _I know riiiiiight! Same thing happened to Black Butler, which was supposed to be a hardcore yaoi. It sucks that writers and artists have to change their work to fit certain standards. I can understand why from a business point of view that mindset is needed but it sucks to never know wht someone's work would have been if society was more open. The good news is things seem to be turning around in that regard. For example, in Seraph of the End._ _ **(Spoilers beyond this point)**_ _If MikaYuu is not canon and they don't kiss, I will be sorely disappointed. They somehow made it even more gay than in the manga. Thing 1 lost her mind while watching the anime because Yuu 'moaned' while Mika fed on him._ _ **LL: SHUT UP OKAY HE DID! AND HAVE YOU GUYS SEEN THE PROMOTIONAL ARTWORK? IT'S SO GAY! GAY GAY GAY –cheers-**_

poi: **(heart) - stupid fanfiction . net wont let us put a heart :(**

clio1111: _-_ le head scratch _\- Sorry for the slow start. ^_^" I promise that the plot will begin to majorly shift during the battle on the bridge. Thank you for the support and the tip. We will try to put it into use to skip over some of the boring parts. Honestly, I underestimated how much information is crammed into manga or anime chapters/episodes. I didn't think we would be this many chapters in at this point, I thought we would be like chapter five. Here we are closer to chapter 10. I must say though, even if it was a slow start, I am happy with where we are and I hope now that things will being getting interesting, you will be too. My apologies to anyone else who shares the same opinion as clio1111. Thank you for sticking around and giving us a chance, we hope to make you happy!_

* * *

 **Chapter 8  
The Calm Before the Storm  
Sasuke's POV**

 _Damn it!_ Sasuke cursed as he skidded down the tree for the umpteenth time. _I HAVE to get higher._ Sasuke glared upwards at the highest cut in the tree's trunk. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he growled as he mentally willed himself to try again. And again he fell. Glancing sideways at Naruto's tree, he could see that he was still in the lead. Grudgingly he admitted that at this rate, it was only a matter of time before Naruto caught up. From the corner of his eye he could see Naruto's swipe at the tree and leave behind yet another deep groove in the bark before he fell.

When it came to chakra management, they were complete opposites. Naruto was not using enough chakra and he was using too much. If he could figure out what Naruto was doing wrong, perhaps it would help him figure out how to keep his chakra from overpowering his jutsu.

Once again the bark snapped under the pressure of his intense chakra and suddenly he was falling again. Sasuke had to break his fall so he jumped between his and Naruto's training trees. By the time he landed, Naruto was already powering up for another go. _Damnit..._ Sasuke mentally berated himself. He really regretted what he was about to do. Hey, Naruto?" He reluctantly called, forcing the words out of his mouth. Somehow this caused Naruto to trip over his own feet and stumble forward. _Of course._

The pathetic sight he just witnessed only made it that much harder to spit the words out. He couldn't believe that he was about to ask for advice from someone so….so…..so Naruto like. It was an entirely new low for him, but he couldn't let Naruto catch up.

"What is it?" He the blond hissed angrily, his eyes narrowing. "Can't you see I'm trying to concentrate!?" He yelled in annoyance as if he was trying to cover up the humiliation of falling in front of Sasuke for no good reason.

"Well... um." Sasuke choked on the words. It was actually painful to try to say it. Clenching his fists tightly, he quickly looked away and his eyes darted around looking for anything else to focus on besides the blond boy in question.

"What did Sakura tell you when you asked her for help?" He muttered quietly, almost hoping Naruto wouldn't hear.

Sasuke didn't even have to look at Naruto to see the smug look on the bastard's face. Glaring towards the ground he could hear a soft, excited chuckle as the blond took pleasure in the fact he was coming to him for help. This was a mistake. "I'm not telling you." Naruto hummed victoriously, happy to have something over him for once in his pathetic life.

Shock and outrage flooded through Sasuke's veins as he finally turned to glare at the arrogant prick. He was twitching with rage at the nerve of the thick-skinned brat. Sure enough, he was standing there with his arms crossed over his chest, with this giant grin spread across his face.

"Are you kidding?" Sasuke hissed as he turned to face the blond. His question only made Naruto's grin grow wider. Growling he turned away. "Tch. Forget it. So much for being a team." he spat under his breath as walked away from Naruto. This was the second time he asked for Naruto's help and Naruto had turned his back on him. It wouldn't happen again.

"Sasuke...!" Naruto's voice called out, causing him to pause but he refused to look at him. "Wait, I was just joking." He said quietly and somewhat nervously. There was a long, awkward pause before Sasuke sighed and turned to face him again.

Naruto was staring at the ground, almost looking sad for a moment. He hadn't meant for his words to actually get to him, it was just something he said more to himself. To remind himself it was idiotic to depend on anyone, let alone Naruto of all people. He remained quiet and just started at Naruto as he waited for him to continue.

"Well, a lot of what she said didn't really make sense..." Naruto began. Typical. "I think what she was trying to get at, was just that you need to stay calm. She said the more frantic you get the less you will be able to focus on the tree or something." he murmured.

Sasuke wasn't sure if his stupidity was hysterical or just plain sad. He asked for advice and he didn't even know what that advice was? "...Is that really it?" he asked doubtfully. He would be suspicious that Naruto was hiding something or lying to him but he didn't think he was that smart at this point.

"What do you mean 'is that it'? I just told you the secret to mastering this jutsu! How about a thank you!?" Naruto yowled defensively.

"If that was really the secret to mastering this jutsu, wouldn't you have mastered it by now?" Sasuke pointed out, satisfied by the angry shade of red his face was beginning to turn. "I'm sure Sakura told you the secret, I just don't think you understood it... Ususratonkachi."

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME!?" Naruto exploded. "THAT'S WHAT I GET FOR HELPING YOU! TEME!" Sasuke ignored him, having already turned his back to the blond as he was trying to focus his chakra. Relax and focus on the tree? What kind of advice was that, he was already focusing on the tree!

"Naruto! Sasuke-kun!" Sakura's voice called from the house. "Dinner time!" Sasuke scowled to himself, his eyes quickly shifting to the darkening sky. He hadn't even noticed how much time had passed. He had been out here for hours and was nowhere near his goal. _Damn._

"Alright!" Naruto beamed, distracted from his loathing by the promise of food. He sprinted off towards the house, eager to dig in while Sasuke lingered behind. His dark, onyx orbs locked onto Naruto's marks on the tree for a moment, before he too silently turned and made his way back towards the house.

"This is nice." Tsunami chirped happily as they all sat around the dining room table to eat. Everyone was enjoying their food except for Inari who was blankly staring at his food. Sasuke and Naruto on the other hand, were trying to see who could eat more as they wolfed plate after plate down. Sasuke ate so much he even felt nauseous.

"It's been such a long time since we've had dinner with so many people, hasn't it?" Tazuna murmured solemnly. "We don't get much company nowadays."

"Is it because of the person missing from that picture?" Sakura asked, her gaze shifting behind her to a torn photograph of the family that was hung on the wall. From the looks of it, someone was purposely removed from the family photo. "I noticed Inari was staring at it before dinner."

"Yes... That's my husband." Tsunami whispered as she stood and began to gather dishes to wash. Her tone, her pained expression, gave away an emptiness in her heart.

"He was once this village's hero." Tuzana sighed deeply as he bowed his head in sadness. It was then Inari abruptly stood and stomped his way to the front door, ignoring everyone's gaze as they watched him leave.

"Inari!" Tsunami called after him. "Inari where are you going!?" She asked, worry clear in her tone. The boys only response was the slamming of the door. Quickly, she turned to glare at her father. "You know not to say things like that around him! You know how upset it makes him!" she berated before she quickly ran after her son.

"What was that about? Did I say something wrong?" Sakura asked, frowning softly as she slowly sat back down. She hadn't meant to cause such a commotion.

"No, it's not you. There has been a darkness in our hearts for a long time. The man missing from that photo, that is Inari's father. Not by blood, but in this world, family means more than just who you are related to." He paused to take a sip of his liquor. Something that Tsunami had been scolding him about since he arrived. "They were close. Like a real father and son, they would laugh together so much, back then. Everything changed the day that he died."

Sakura's eyes widened in horror. She had never lost anyone she loved before. It was probably hard for her to imagine what it was like to lose someone at such a young age. Sasuke, however, he knew that feeling all too well. "Inari's father is.. dead?" Naruto whispered to himself, no doubt thinking back to the time he was spying on Inari in his bedroom. Sasuke had heard his crying, too. Was it because of his father?

"How did it happen?" Sakura whimpered, pity evident in her tone and eyes.

"Before I get to that, you need to know what kind of a man he was. His name was Kaiza, he was nothing more than a fisherman who came here to follow his dreams. The day those two met, Kaiza saved Inari's life. A bunch of bullies had thrown him into the ocean and left him there to drown but Kaiza rescued him before the water took him. The two of them became inseparable." Tazuna sighed. "It was not just Inari's life he saved. Kaiza saved the whole city, too. During a nasty storm, the village was almost under water when one of the floodgates was left open. He swam across raging rapids that could easily have torn him to shreds to close it."

"That's amazing..." Naruto murmured in awe as he listened, complete invigorated by the story. It was hard to tell what was really going through his mind, the only thing that was certain, was he was intently listening to every word.

"That was Kaiza. He was a role model for everyone in the village and he represented and determination. He inspired the villagers to do whatever it takes to protect the ones you love most. Inari couldn't have been any prouder... but when Gatou came to the city…." His voice trailed off as his frown grew. "Kaiza was a pillar of the community and that meant he needed to be put down. So in front of everyone, in front of Inari; he was beaten, tortured, and murdered." Tazuna gritted out, his own eyes watering. His hands were clenching the table so tightly they shook from the memory that was still firmly implanted into his brain.

Sasuke's eyes widen in surprise, the shock registering on the other genin's faces as well. All he could think about was that night he stood in his home, watching the blood of his parent's drip from his own brother's sword. The sickness he felt from eating so much food worsened, pushing him so much closer to throwing up.

"What?" Sakura's breathlessly stammers, trying to get the slightest understanding of what such a tragedy was really like. Suddenly, a loud crash sounded throughout the room as Naruto knocked over his chair in a vain attempt to stand up. "Naruto?" she questioned with glazed eyes, still dazed from the sad information she was jsut given as she watched Naruto struggle to pick himself back up.

"Take it easy. If you're thinking of training, go get some rest instead. You 've released too much chakra and if you use anymore you could risk serious injury or even death." Kakashi stated, seeming to be the only one unfazed by the situation. It wasn't surprising, Kakashi was a jonin. Ninja live in Death's shadow.

"I... can't." Naruto huffed and puffed as he wobbly stood on his feet. "I have to prove it to him."

"Prove what?" Sakura questioned, confused by what Naruto was rambling on about.

"That Kaiza was right! That Inari was right to believe in him!" Naruto snapped, glaring at the ground and clenching his fists tightly. "Heroes do exist! You said Kaiza represented courage and the determination to protect others and as the future Hokage, so will I! So no matter what, even if it costs me my life, I swear I am going to protect you guys and this village!"

Tazuna, instead of laughing like usual, seemed stunned by what Naruto had said. His gaze slowly dropped from Naruto to the table, where he tried to hide a faint grin. "Kaiza... used to say almost the exact same thing." He whispered, pausing to take a long sip of his drink. Naruto blinked in surprise at what Tazuna had said, but for once he remained silent and kept his thoughts to himself.

Sasuke watched as Naruto stormed out, slowly standing and following after him. "Hey, Naruto." he called after him from the porch, a hand moving to his pocket as he watched the stumbling fool turn to face him. "You heard what Kakashi said." he said simply, warning him not to continue training.

Naruto only grinned before turning and continuing into the woods. "He never listens to anybody." Sakura's voice sounded from beside him. Sasuke glanced over at her from the corner of his eye, resisting the urge to scowl as he quickly looked up at the moon. At least this meant he would get a few good hours to sleep without having to listen to Naruto's loud mouth snoring all night long.

Then again, that just meant the room would be filled with silence. At least while Naruto was around, he didn't have to worry about that. He wondered what Naruto was thinking and what he was feeling that was getting him so riled up. Maybe he was thinking of Iruka. They were not related by blood but they had a clear father-son bond. It could also just be his eagerness to become a hero, something they had seen several times before or even just is sympathy to Inari.

"...Hey, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura's voice interrupted his thoughts. He didn't say anything, but he did give her a slightly more noticeable glance. "Today, when I was walking through the village with Tazuna, I saw how desperately these people need our help. We have to help them and we have to help Inari." she whispered quietly, frowning in the direction that Naruto went.

It was surprising to see this side of Sakura, her compassionate side. Especially when her loudness and violence towards Naruto is usually what he was familiar with. Despite her good intentions, he couldn't help but feel annoyed by her behavior even now. It made him think that if she knew anything about him, she would pity him, too.

Compassion wouldn't make him stronger. Only his hated will. Compassion is something you feel because you are lucky enough not to be directly involved. It is like throwing someone a bone because you have a stack to spare. Hatred forces you to take action and it gives you the desire to fight, to make a difference. Narrowing his eyes, Sasuke started up at the sky as he thought of the villagers. The people here are too weak to hate and too weak to make the difference themselves. All they can do is rely on someone else to be compassionate enough to throw them a life line. And those who tried to fight, well they were still too weak and they died.

Without another word, Sasuke turned and made his way back inside the house to rest and prepare for a long day of training tomorrow. No matter what, he would master this tree climbing jutsu tomorrow. Failure was not an option.

.

The next morning, Sasuke had just finished his breakfast when he heard Sakura yawn from the doorway. "Good morning, Sakura." Tsunami greeted her as she handed her a plate of breakfast, to which Sakura sleepily returned the greeting.

"Is Naruto still out?" Tazuna asked.

"Uh-Uh." Sakura yawned again. "He's been training ever since he heard your story. He's probably passed out somewhere by now... or dead." She murmured dismissively as she began to eat.

"Oh my." Tsunami frowned. "I hope he is alright. Alone in the woods at night is no place for a child."

"Don't worry." Kakashi chimed in. "He might not look like it, but Naruto is a full-fledged ninja. I'm sure he is alright."

"I don't know about that..." Sasuke mumbled under his breath as he laced his fingers together. He took a moment to close his eyes and simply relax, preparing himself for the long day of training ahead of him. "He is more of a moron than he is a ninja."

"Well, if you are so worried about how, why don't you go check on him then." Kakashi countered. Sasuke didn't move and just stared blankly at his sensei but after a moment of Kakashi's overzealous and completely fake smile, he gave in. With a reluctant sigh, he stood and made his way out.

When he found Naruto, he wasn't expecting to find him talking with someone. They were apparently just finishing up their conversation because the stranger was making his way past him. Something about him gave Sasuke a sense of deja vu. There was something off about him, but he couldn't figure out what it was. And he didn't like that.

He eyed the person out of the corner of his eye and watched them pass by him before glancing back at Naruto. The idiot looked as clueless as ever, probably not realizing there was something suspicious about the person he was talking to. "Do you feel good enough to get back to training?" He asked with a small smirk of amusement pulling at the corner of his lips when Naruto instantly became cheered.

"You bet I am! Today is the day I'm finally going to beat you!" He exclaimed eagerly.

Despite their vows to themselves, neither one had accomplished their goals. Sasuke was unable to truly master the jutsu and Naruto was unable to surpass Sasuke. They were at a stalemate and always tied with each other. They were beyond frustrated.

The pair ended up in an almost obsessive cycle of training. Before dawn and until after dusk, the two went at it, competing with one another and trying to see who could improve the quickest. Finally four days later that they decided to take a break. Leaning against the base of the tree, he released a sigh as the exhaustion took its toll on him. Closing his eyes, he prepared to relax for a moment but suddenly he heard voices below the tree branches. Instantly on alert, he slipped out a kunai and tightened his grip on the weapon. Only when he realized who it was did he relax.

He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he could tell it was Kakashi and Sakura. Naruto on the other hand, he could hear loud and clear. The blond was on a lower branch in the tree beside him. He was lounging on his stomach almost like a cat as he peered down at their teammates.

"KAKASHI! SAKURA! LOOK HOW HIGH I CAN CLIMB NOW! WHAT DO YOU THINK!?" He hollered, grinning and chuckling to himself. He was proud of what he had accomplished and eager for praise. He was also exhausted and clumsy, so when he stood, in a very un-catlike matter, he immediately lost his balance and began to fall.

Sasuke readied himself to jump down and save the idiot, but paused when he realized Naruto wasn't falling to his death but instead handing upside down from the bottom of his feet. A small sigh escaped him as he relaxed, somewhat annoyed by his prank. "Just kidding!" Naruto laughed and smiled down at them. He was just trying to show off. _He hasn't changed that much after all,_ Sasuke thought to himself. A statement that couldn't be any more true as he lost control of his chakra and his feet detached from the tree. "AAAAHHHHH!" he cried out in fear, realizing how badly he messed up as he really began to fall to his death this time.

Down below, Sakura was yelling at him for his antics, not realizing that Naruto was in danger this time. Sasuke paid them no mind as he launched himself down to the other tree branch, focusing on propelling himself after Naruto before it was too late. He barely got there in time, able to grab one of his ankles as his feet glued them to the very branch he had fallen from. "You moron." Sasuke glared at him. "This is what you get for trying to show off."

"Ah!? Sasuke!" Naruto sighed in relief as he looked up at the other genin. He gave a nervous chuckle, obviously at a loss for words given the predicament he had landed himself in. "Eheh... Thanks! I really owe you one." He paused. "Can you pull me up now?"

Sasuke looked at him for a moment, a small smirk pulling at the corners of his lips but he helped Naruto heave himself to the safety of the branch none the less. Naruto immediately leaned back against the trunk of the tree and tried to calm down and catch his breath while Sasuke stood there for a moment, simply staring down at Kakashi and Sakura as they began to leave.

They looked like ants from up here. His gaze slowly shifted up, looking past the branches and leaves to the very top of the canopy. He wanted to see what it was like from up there. Naruto must have noticed where he was looking and followed his train of thought, because a grin formed on his chapped lips. "Hey, Sasuke...?"

"...Let's not stop until we are up there, okay?" His words were somewhat surprising, drawing the Uchiha's attention back to the blond. After a small pause, Sasuke huffed quietly to himself. A small smirk pulling on the corners of his lips.

"Wasn't planning on it." He said simply before he jumped away from Naruto's training tree and back up his own. It was strange, training like this with Naruto. He had never really practiced with anyone before and a couple weeks ago Naruto would be the last person he would have ever wanted to. Now, he wasn't hating it as much as he thought he would have.

As the day progressed, the two of them climbed higher and higher. It wasn't until the crescent moon was high in the sky that they finally reached the top of the trees on their seventh night of training. They were both exhausted, hungry, and covered in dirt and sweat... but they were victorious.

They had climbed to the very tips of the trees, looking out across the forest like they had never seen it before. The soft light of the moon closer than it has even been and the wind that once only rustled the leaves of the tallest trees now washed over them. It was quiet a moment, but one that was short lived. They still had to climb back down.

"Hahaha, we... did it!" Naruto tries to laugh and be excited, but he just sounded tired. Sasuke smirked to himself, amused by the tone in his voice.

"Ready to head back?"

"Yeah!"

Climbing down the tree was definitely harder than climbing up. By the time they reached the bottom, both had nearly collapsed from exhaustion. Sasuke's body was unwilling to move anymore and Naruto didn't seem to be much better off. So the two laid there for a moment, once again catching their breaths as they stared up at the moonlight filtering in through the trees.

"...Hey, Sasuke?" Naruto's gruff voice murmured quietly from nearby. Sasuke remained silent, instead, he simply closed his eyes and saved the energy it would take just to reply to him. "Thank you." He murmured, surprising Sasuke into looking at him.

"For what?"

"I don't really know... I'm tired." He half-heartedly chuckled.

"You're not going all soft on me, are you?" Sasuke snorted, quickly looking away. Did Naruto hit his head on the way down? What was that all about? Naruto has said thank you a couple times before, like when he saved him from falling to his death like he did earlier, but for some reason what he said just now seemed far sincerer.

It was weird.

"No, I guess not." Naruto groaned as he heaved himself to his unsteady feet. Reluctantly, Sasuke did the same. He sure as Hell wasn't going to be left behind now. Together, the two began to stumble and wobble their way back to the house. Each step felt like a thousand to their aching bodies.

"Gah! Watch it." Naruto hissed as Sasuke lost his footing and stumbled into him. In Naruto's scramble to stay top side, he stumbled into Sasuke in return. The two standing there for a moment clinging to each other for balance.

"You watch it." Sasuke shot back. "You're the one who decided to keep bumping into me."

"You're the one who decided to walk so close to me!" Naruto argued. Sasuke snorted in response but didn't reply.

The two just glared at each other in silence. A few seconds passed before they looked away and stood there in awkward silence, not trusting their bodies enough to detach their grips from each other. They didn't have the strength to walk on their own. Right now, they were precariously being held up by the other.

"...Let's just hurry home." Sasuke muttered, taking a cautious step forward without releasing his grip on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto follows suit, and together they walk towards the house, an arm wrapped around each other's back to help keep them supported.

It was easier to walk that way, but it had its own discomforts. His body was already burning, but Naruto's felt like a furnace. He was already sweating but Naruto made him sweat even more, not to mention that the close contact was just weird and awkward to begin with.

"Well, it is about time." Tazuna huffed as the two walked in together. "What have you two been up to, you look like something the cat dragged in." he teased, which naturally caused Naruto who was practically limp against him, to get riled up.

"We both made it." Naruto grinned. "We both climbed all the way to the top."

"Good, then starting tomorrow you two can join in as body guards for Tazuna. But for now... see if you two can make it to the bathroom to wash up, next. We're about to eat and you reek. You're ruining my appetite." Kakashi nonchalantly shooed them away.

"Alright! Food! Do you have ramen?!" Naruto beamed, totally missing the insult that just flew over his head. Completely focused on the word _food_ , he cheered and jumped for joy in place. Not realizing how exhausted he was, Naruto's body failed to jump properly and fell sideways, crashing into Sasuke.

"Oof!" Sasuke grunted as he landed on the floor. Not even a second later Naruto crashed into him and his breath left him in a quick whoosh. "Get off me, you idiot!" he hissed as everyone else laughed at their expensive. Shoving Naruto off, he weakly stood up and used the wall for support as he wobbled forward. Kakashi chuckled at his attempt to walk straight. Glaring darkly at his sensei, the jonin just smiled cheekily in response. Annoyed, Sasuke just ignored the sounds of everyone's laughter and Naruto's constant whining. He took another step forward and walked towards the bathroom. He was just looking forward to washing the dirt and the sweat off.

Naruto was on his heels, clearly with the same thought in mind. But before they could leave the room a pained whimper drew their attention. "Why...why?" the young boy sniffled.

"What's up, Inari?" Naruto asked, not realizing it would cause the younger boy to explode.

"WHY DO YOU GUYS BOTHER TO TRAIN SO HARD!? NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRAIN YOU'RE STILL NO MATCH FOR GATOU'S MEN!" Inari erupted, tears streaming down both sides of his face as he glared at the pair of them. "NO MATTER WHAT GLORIOUS CLAIMS YOU MAKE OR HOW HARD YOU WORK, WHEN THE WEAK FACE THE STRONG THEY ALWAYS GET KILLED!"

Everyone stared at the child in shock, with disbelief written all over their expressions. Sasuke looked down at him impassively. He didn't particularly disagree with his logic. It was truth.

"Whatever, kid. I'm not like you." Naruto muttered as he turned away, too tired to fight with him again.

"I'D HATE TO BE LIKE YOU! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS COUNTRY AND YET HERE YOU ARE STICKING YOUR NOSE WHERE IT DOESN'T BELONG! YOU'RE DIFFERENT THAN ME BUT WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT ME!? YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" Inari screamed, his emotions reaching a boiling point. "All you do is clown around acting so cheerful, you have no idea how hard life can be!"

"So what..." Naruto began, his eyes darkening slightly as he stared down the younger boy. "Are you just going to cry all day and be the star of your own tragedy?" Naruto snapped as he glared daggers at him, effectively shutting the child up. "Cry yourself a river all day long, you dumb big baby."

"NARUTO!" Sakura exclaimed in shock. "You've said enough!" she scolded him, but Naruto simply scoffed and continued past Sasuke towards the showers. Inari on the other hand, quickly fled to the porch to sulk in private. Sasuke didn't particularly disagree with Naruto, either. A lot of people had it a lot worse than that kid and he needed to grow up and realize that sooner or later.

That look in Uzumaki's eyes, though... How has he never noticed it before? Until they were stuck on a team together, he never realized how much darkness was inside him. Like Inari and everyone else, he always thought Naruto was nothing but an idiot and a goof. He never took him seriously. When he had that look in his eyes though…. suddenly, he didn't seem like such a goof anymore. He seemed dangerous. Between this and the training incidents and every time Naruto surprised him and got the upper hand in a fight, Sasuke was really starting to believe that Naruto downplayed his real powers. He was stronger than he looked and much darker. This Naruto was cold and it reminded him of himself. Sasuke didn't like it on Naruto. Not one bit.

"What was that about?" Sasuke asked nonchalantly as he made his way into the bathroom, walking towards the shower next to Naruto.

"Nothing." Naruto muttered as he clumsily began to pull off his clothes. "I just can't stand watching someone feel sorry for themselves and do nothing about it..." he sighed as he crumpled up his clothes into a ball and threw them to the side.

* * *

"Alright, we'll be off then. Please take care of Naruto. He pushed himself past his limit and I don't think he is going to be able to move today." Kakashi waved to Tsunami as he turned and followed after Tazuna.

Sasuke looked back at the house for a moment, before he too slowly followed after. Naruto was going to lose it when he woke up. Too bad he wouldn't be there to see the look on his face when he realized he got left behind.

Sasuke wasn't expecting much to happen as they guarded the workers on the bridge because Sakura went on for hours about how boring it was. But as they neared the bridge, Sasuke could tell something was wrong. Something was _really_ wrong. He couldn't hear laughter nor the sound of working men. There was just silence. And silence only meant one thing. Eyes narrowing, he glanced towards his sensei whose impassive expression gave away the fact that he was coming to same conclusion. Sakura as always, was blissfully unaware of what they might come across.

It was hard to see the bridge from far away because of the fog, but once they neared it they could see the tragedy that had taken place. Instead of happy workers building a bridge to save their country, the group saw dismantled bodies scattered across the ground. Blood was splattered everywhere like paint and the moans of dying men filled the air. Sasuke wasn't scared. This wasn't his first rodeo. He's seen blood and death before in a much larger and a much more tragic sense. Calm as ever, he kept his face clear of all emotion as he glanced around at his surroundings, trying to assess the situation.

It wasn't until the wind changed and the scent of something sweet hit his nose did an audible gasp escape him. Feeling light on his feet, he swayed in his spot as a wave of dizziness crashed through him. Whatever he was smelling was so sweet, yet it burned his chest and nostrils making it hard to breath. Clenching his fist, he tried to calm himself as he stared at the ground with his eyes roaming around aimlessly until they focused in on a dying man laying nearby. Blood dripped through his fingers as he clutched his hand to his side in a vain attempt to seal his wound. Every time he coughed even more blood would spill out. Sasuke's eyes were drawn to the small red rivets that streamed down his hand and dripped down his arm. _Blood._

"No!" Tazuna hollered as he moved over to one of the twitching and groaning bodies. The man's cry of utter agony snapped Sasuke out of his trance. _Again? Again this happened?_ _What is wrong with me?_ He angrily growled at himself. Willing himself to focus he watched as Tazuna gently cradled the man in his arms, his eyes wide in horror as he watched his friend and co-worker bled to death. "What happened here!?"

"M-... Monster." The man whispered hoarsely. Sasuke's eyes widened slightly, his stomach clenching with dread. _Could it be...?_ As if answering his thoughts, the mist begins to thicken and take on a familiar feeling of chakra. _It was him, it was Zabuza!_

"Here they come!" Kakashi warned, the three ninja instantly taking guard of Tazuna's back, kunai at the ready. This familiar, overwhelming chakra. There was no doubt about it.

"Kakashi..." Sakura's nervous voice stammered from beside him. "This mist... This is **his** Hidden Mist Jutsu, isn't it?" She was terrified too. A fear that grew in both of the genin as that demonic, gravelly voice spoke up.

"Long time no see, Kakashi." Zabuza's purr echoed. "I see you're still with those brats and oh look, that one is shaking again. Poor kid." He laughed patronizingly. Suddenly, several of Zabuza's water clones emerged from around them. A small smirk pulled on the corner of Sasuke's lips.

"Sasuke!" Kakashi called out, but he didn't need to. Sasuke was already jumping into the air and tossing several kunai at the clones as he had practiced a thousand times.

"I'm shaking from excitement!" He smirked as he corrected Zabuza, landing in a puddle of the clone's destruction. _You can't fool me_ , Sasuke thought to himself, _this time is not going to be like the last_!

"It seems I was right." Kakashi murmured quietly as they peered through the mist at the two figures in the distance. "Standing beside Zabuza and everything, they are working together."

"That coward! He should stop hiding under that mask and face us!" Sakura huffed, taking a page out of Naruto's book and getting a bit riled up herself. It seems like the both of them were handling the fight better than they did last time. This time, he was going to redeem himself.

"I'll fight him." Sasuke said lowly, his grip tightening on the kunai left in his hand. "I can't believe he tricked us with that stupid act of his. I hate bastards like him the most." He gritted out. Deception... It made him think of the last person who had mistakenly put his trust in.

"Sasuke-kun..." Sakura whispered in amazement before giving a small smile. "I'm sure you can do it!" she encouraged him, but he ignored her. His sole focus was on the masked boy before him. He wasn't expecting for his enemy to suddenly disappear and reappear in front of his face.

His eyes widened in shock and immediately, he used his kunai to block a stab from one of the masked attacker's needles. _Still sticking with the same weapon?_ Even if it was made for nonlethal purposes, anything was deadly in the hands of someone who knew how to use it. The fact he used these isntead of a more tradistional weapn made him feel as if he should be extra careful.

 _He's fast,_ Sasuke thought as their weapons continued to clash, _but I'm faster_. "I don't want to have to kill you." The boy behind the mask murmured. "You're not going to stand down, though, are you?"

"You ask stupid questions!" Sasuke grunted as he lunged forward but his attack was blocked as well.

"I see." he murmured, keeping a steady contact on their sharpened utensils. "Even if I told you, you are already at two disadvantages?"

"Two?"

"You won't be able to keep up with me. The water on the ground and now, one of your arms is occupied." he comments, Sasuke's gaze shifting to his hand holding the kunai. "You will only be able to run from my attacks." the stranger said as he began to sign with one hand. Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise. He didn't even know that was possible!

The water from the clones surrounded him and formed thin, pointed spikes. _Crap, this isn't good._ There was only one way out. He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking back to his training as he focused his chakra in his legs, then jumped upwards. Like a rocket, he was soaring through the air, even knocking his attacker back a few steps from the force of his ascent.

The water needles collided into the ground and each other with an explosion. He paid no attention what was going on below, and instead, threw shuriken at his unsuspecting target. He didn't seem to realize where he had gone.

Multiple shuriken lured the masked boy into position, forcing him to dodge or to be hit. "You're pretty slow." Sasuke murmured, having landed behind the boy. "It seems speed is my advantage. From now on, you will only be able to run from my attacks." he said as he slashed at him. The boy tried to drop down to avoid getting cut, but lined himself up perfectly for a strong kick directly on his chest.

Sasuke's kick was successful, the impact sent the boy flying back to Zabuza's side. A victorious smirk pulled at the corner of Sasuke's lips, as he joined back up with Sakura and Kakashi. He hadn't been paying attention during his fight, but it seemed like Sakura was on official guard duty and that Kakashi trusted him enough to deal with the masked kid.

"Now, I can't have you underestimating my team like that." Kakashi hummed patronizingly. "Sasuke is the number one rookie ninja, Sakura is the brightestrookie, and the other one…" His voice drawled off. "-is the show off, the most hyperactive, and loudest ninja in our village. We are Team 7 of the Hidden Leaf and you stand no hope of beating us."

"Hehehe..." Zabuza chuckled. "Haku, do you understand t this rate we will be driven back? Stop playing around." He murmured as the boy picked himself up. _So his name is Haku._ Not only that, but now there was a sudden chill in the air as Haku's chakra began to spill over.

Once again, the water began to come to life around Sasuke. He was preparing for the same attack as last time but instead, it turned into a dome of mirrors that entrapped him. Sasuke's eyes widen in surprise and shifted around as Haku's reflection seemed to shine from inside the mirrors. He had never heard of or seen a jutsu like this before. _What is this?_

"Shall we begin? It's time I show you my real speed." Haku said as all of the reflections raised their needles and ready to throw the attack. He was not expecting for what seemed like an onslaught of needles from every angle to cut up his body. He couldn't even see what direction they were coming from because they were coming from everywhere. Was this like a multiple clone jutsu?

"Gaah!" Sasuke hissed out in pain as his body was sliced and his blood splashed onto the ground. What was he even supposed to do against this? His body was being torn to bits, he couldn't even stand anymore and quickly collapsed on the ground.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried out. He turned and tried to peer through the gaps in the mirrors, just to see a kunai heading towards back of one of the panels. Was that the key, then? Did he have to break the panels to break the jutsu?

He had a moment to catch his breath, as Haku stopped his attack just long enough to partially morph outside of the mirror and grab the kunai before it could shatter a mirror. The masked boy was not prepared to stop a shuriken that came flying towards him from a different direction.

The ninja tool landed a hefty blow right across Haku's face, almost slicing the mask in half. While it failed to actually severely hurt him thanks to his face protection, it did knock him out of the mirrors.

The shock had all eyes focused on a cloud of smoke that had suddenly appeared. _the idiot, the show off, the most hyperactive, and loudest ninja ever to exist has finally arrived._ Sasuke thought with a small, painful grin.

"Naruto Uzumaki has finally arrived!" He hollered with a fire in his eyes. He was eager to jump in and fight with a determination that rivaled Sasuke's."Now that I am here, everything will be fine!" He promised with an overly goofy grin.

"Nartuo!" Sakura cheered in relief. As relieved as Sasuke was for some back up, and annoyed by it as well, he honestly couldn't help but think that Naruto talked too much. He could have just jumped in and helped without the flashy entrance. He really was more of a moron than a ninja.

From the ground, Sasuke could see Zabuza throw a handful of shuriken towards Naruto, while Haku threw just as many needles. At first, he was sure Naruto would be finished right there. As he watched the ninja tools collide with each other and clatter to the ground, his eyes widened in surprise. That was the most shocking thing to happen so far. Haku saved Naruto?

"Haku... What was that about?" Zabuza asked lowly, not sounding the least bit pleased. He no doubt still held resentment towards Naruto for what happened during their last fight.

"Zabuza... These kids. Please let me fight them my way." Haku murmured quietly as he rose to his feet.

"So you don't want me to interfere? You're as soft as always." Zabuza snorted. It was then the realization hit Sasuke as he forced himself up as well. His eyes scanning over his injuries. _Soft? He is right!_ All his cuts seemed to be mostly superficial. He was attacking with needles but not aiming for any vital points. _Is he really trying not to kill me?_

Sasuke ground his teeth together in confusion. Even if he wasn't trying to kill him, he still couldn't lose here. He still had to figure out what was going on with this jutsu. It had to be more than just a cloning jutsu. The mirrors had to serve some purpose, he just wasn't sure what that purpose was. Not that it mattered, with him on the inside and Naruto on the outside, they could break-

"Psst! Sasuke!" Naruto whispered from beside him. "I've come to rescue you." _He... He just walked inside the trap!?_

"YOU MORON!" Sasuke erupted, overcome with disbelief and anger at just how idiotic Naruto actually could be. "If you want to be some great ninja than use your head! Why did you come inside the mirrors!? Damn it, I don't even care anymore!" He growled in frustration, as the headache Naruto just gave him was far stronger than the pain he felt from Haku's cuts. Now he had to deal with Haku's attacks and protecting the nim-wit. "USURATONKACHI!" He spat, knowing how much being called 'useless' annoyed him. He was worse than useless, honestly. "DOBE!" He was dead weight.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!? I COME TO SAVE YOU AND THIS IS WHAT I GET!?" Naruto roared back in anger. The two were distracted by Haku, who materialized back into the mirror. He couldn't afford to just stand around anymore; it was more than just his life on the line. _Tch, so there is the real on_ \- he began to think as his hand reached for a kunai.

"Over here." Haku's soft voice sounded from behind him. His eyes widened and his body stiffened as he quickly looked over his shoulder at what seemed like another Haku. He can move from the mirrors, so they just had to break the mirrors. If the mirrors were made of ice then...

"What's going on!?" Naruto asked, looking around like the clueless idiot he was. Sasuke ignored him as he formed a hand sign to focus his chakra. Fire Style: Grand Fire Ball Jutsu!

Sasuke breathed a ball of fire like a mythical dragon, but as the flames began to dissipate he could see that the ice remained untouched. _Damn it!_ He swore. "You can't melt my ice with that level of fire." Haku murmured, causing Sasuke to grit his teeth in anger.

"It didn't do anything!" Naruto gawked in surprise.

"I realized that, thank you captain obv-" Sasuke began to snap in frustration but was cut off as needles began to slice at their skin of every direction. _Ow...That hurts!_

"Waa!" Naruto cried out, his eyes flickering from mirror to mirror. "Where is the real one?"

"Trying to follow me with your eyes is impossible. You will never be able to catch me." Haku told them. Naruto wasn't taking no for an answer though.

"Bah! Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Smoke erupted isnide the dome as dozens of Naruto lunged for the mirrors, hoping to crush them with his fist. "Then I'll find the real one by crushing them all!" Before a single Naruto could land a single punch, they disappeared and Naruto was sent skidding back to where Sasuke was crouching.

"It's pointless. This jutsu uses the mirrors reflections to transport me. From my point of view, you are moving in slow motion." Haku murmured, almost as if he was trying to discourage them from fighting anymore.

"So what!?" Naruto hissed, gritting his teeth in anger. "I can't die here; I have a dream to fulfill." Sasuke clenched his own jaw in anger as well. He too, refused to let it end here. That still left the question of how they were going to defeat their enemy.

"I don't want to be a true shinobi..." Haku murmured quietly. "If possible, i do not want to have to kill you or you to kill me. If you come at me though, I will destroy my kind heart with a blade, to make sure that my own dreams are fulfilled as well." He warned. "I want nothing more than to protect someone precious to me and to make that person's dreams come true. If this bridge is the place where we must all fight for our dreams then please, don't hate me. For that one special person, I can become a true shinobi. To make my dream and their dream come true, I can kill you."

"SASUKE-KUN! NARUTO! DON'T LOSE TO THAT GUY!" Sakura's voice shouted from the outside.

"Sasuke..." Naruto murmured from beside him. "What are we going to do? All we are doing is running around?"

"Be quiet and get up! I can't watch over you, too. Just try to avoid getting a serious wound, we can't avoid getting hit. There has to be a limit to his jutsu, he is already slowly- Here he comes!" he managed to call out just before the needles pierced into his body. Before, Haku's attacks were superficial cuts. Now, the needles were lodged deep into his body and some were even coming out from the other side.

The two were in bad shape and Naruto couldn't even stand. He was close to falling over as well. In the distance he could hear a shrill shriek break through the sound of fighting. His eyes widened in horror. That was Sakura's voice. What was happening, was Kakashi losing? _Damn it, I have to do something before it is too late!_

Sasuke slowly staggered upright, his intense gaze focusing back on Haku. He was starting to get used to it and he was starting to see Haku's movements. "Ugh..." Naruto gtroans as he pushes himself up. He was slowly becoming warn down, which wasn't surprising. They both had lost a lot of blood and were in a lot of pain.

"You move well." Haku praised. "This time, though... I'll stop you." Haku promised as he held up his needles. Sasuke remained unwavering, his gaze only intensifying as he tried to absorb every movement. He couldn't let his body or Haku's threats get to him. He had to calm down, concentrate, and see through it! _He's coming!_

Quickly, Sasuke jumped to the side, tackling Naruto over as well since he obviously wasn't going to be able to move on his own. Painfully, he stood up. His eyes locking with Haku as Naruto mostly laid limp beside him. _I can see,_ Sasuke realized. _Just a little bit, but I can see!_

"So, you are also from an advanced bloodline, then. Then I won't drag this out any longer. This is the end!" Haku said as he lunged. Instead of attacking him like he thought, seeing as he was the one who posed a threat, Haku lunged for Naruto.

 _What!? Damnit_ , he wasn't prepared for this. _Please make it in time!_ Sasuke willed his body to move faster, his heart racing in fear as he watched Haku edge closer and closer to Naruto's crumpled form. He had to make it in time. His mind retraced back to the worst night of his life. He had been too late to save his family; he wouldn't have been able to help them even if he had gotten there in time. This time... This time had to be different!

Sasuke knew he should be feeling pain, but at that moment as he stood, staring across at Haku's body on the ground... He only felt numb. He could hear Naruto groan and stir behind him, even hear him give an excited gasp. "Sasuke-kun! You did i-" he began to praise, but he must have seen the blood dripping down and stopped.

"Geez... Naruto." He choked, watching as the dark spots began to cloud his vision. "All you ever do is get in the way." He rasped, giving a half chuckle as a small smile pulled at the corner of his lips. He made it in time.

Sasuke forced himself to look over his shoulder at Naruto, actually finding amusement at the horrified expression on his face. "What's with that face?" he whispered. "You're not hurt or anything are you, scardy cat?" he half chuckled again, only to end up coughing up blood.

"S-Sasuke..." Naruto whispers hoarsely in shock. "Why?" he whimpered as his eyes began to water.

Why? Why did he do it? Slowly, the darkness and numbness grew and he could no longer see what was real in the world but instead, he saw his memories. Memories of Naruto, the time they shared. "How should I know?" He whispered, his voice growing distant. "Heh, I even used to hate you." he mused, mostly to himself at this point. Was this what they meant when they said that your life flashes before your eyes when you die? Was he dying?

Guess it meant he'd never complete his task.

"S-Sasuke... Why? Why!? I NEVER ASKED FOR YOUR HELP!" Naruto cried out, distressed by Sasuke's state. "WHY SAVE ME!?"

"My body... just moved on its' own." he remembered murmuring before he lost the ability to stand any longer. He toppled over, falling backwards but he felt no pain. For a brief moment, he could see through the darkness up at Naruto shocked and emotional face. His face was always full of emotion. "I told myself that I wouldn't die until I killed that him. That man, my brother..." he whispered, his blurry gaze focusing on Naruto's features as best he could. "Don't you die, too." he managed to say with the last ounce of strength he had left.

* * *

Alright, guys! Let us know what you think, as always! The next chapter is going to be where we break away from the canon, can anyone guess how? What do you guys think? What twists do we have in store or what twists would you like to see?

Once again, super sorry for the late update but being the freaking messes we are, it's the best we can do. Also just curious, would anyone be interested in darker themes in this story as well? Like detailed blood and gore and emotional roller coasters? Just curious. Because that's always fun to write. XD


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